Crowd of Two
by writer with no words
Summary: The 74th Hunger Games are over, and Cato and Grey have escaped without harm. But with the announcement of the Quarter Quell promising to be worse that ever before, the pair realize that once you start playing, the game never ends. And no one wants to play in a Crowd of Two. Sequel to Wrong Crowd.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello everyone, I'm back! I apologise for what is going to be a long author's note, but it's just because this is the first chapter of my brand new sequel! Writing my first story 'Wrong Crowd' was an amazing experience and I knew that eventually I would come back to the story of Cato and Grey, but I just needed to sort out some sort of storyline first. I don't want to get half way through and realise that I don't know where this story is going.**

**If you're reading this and thinking, "Hang on, this is a sequel? But I haven't read the first story!" then that's okay! If you want to, go onto my profile and read the first in this series, 'Wrong Crowd' but if you want to just start here then I'm sure you'll quickly pick up what you've missed. **

**In this first chapter I have tried to write as best I can, and I really hope that I'm doing the beginning of this justice. Please review if you enjoy it, don't enjoy it, have suggestions, etc. Truly, anything you say I'll be happy with!  
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**Without further ado, here's the first chapter of Crowd Of Two!  
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Crowd Of Two**  
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Chapter One - New Beginnings

Grey's POV

_"Wait! Stop this instant! May I present you with the victors of the 74th Annual Hunger Games; Cato of District 2 and Grey of District 4!"_

The significance of what had just been said into the arena hits me hard and suddenly I feel weak with happiness and relief. For the first time in 74 years, there are going to be two victors. Cato from District 2 and Grey from District 4. The small chance that had previously been growing in my mind had now become an unbelievable reality. Although I know that there are many more hurdles to overcome, the fact that I don't have to worry about being stabbed in the back, _literally_, is a huge relief.

I slowly drop onto my knees and eventually end up lying flat on my back on the cornucopia, still clasping Cato's bloody hand in my own. I squint my eyes to try and focus my gaze but Cato's face is cloudy in front of me and his self-inflicted neck wound makes him look like some gruesome doll. He's being unexpectedly quiet; I had expected him to be jumping around celebrating his victory, but instead he is silently holding his neck with his hands, the blood seeping through his fingertips. It doesn't take long before he's lying alongside me, and I can't tell if it was of his own accord or not. The way his head roughly hits the metal ground tells me that it wasn't.

There's a familiar sound of wind rustling the trees around us as a hovercraft approaches. I ignore the movement, hoping that if I pay no attention to it, it will go away. I'm too tired to even sit up and leave this arena. Beside me, Cato begins to cough and retch, making noises like a dying animal as the blood spurting out of his neck starts to constrict his breathing.

I turn my head to look at him and try to focus on Cato's face instead of the blood dying his tribute shirt crimson. There's a strange, almost defiant expression on his face, as if he is daring his body to kill him, to give him one last battle. But when his body convulses suddenly, his face loses concentration and he shuts his eyes tightly; a look of pain plastered on his face. Where the blood loss from my own neck wound has made me weak and complacent, Cato's body has fought back, sending him into fits of shaking and hyperventilated breathing. His blue eyes are all the more noticeable against his rapidly paling face.

I begin to hear the sounds of people with clipped Capitol accents climbing up beside us and they start talking in abbreviated statements to each other, as if they have done this many times before.

"District 2 is a 411, he's having trouble breathing. No, don't restrain him! Does anyone have any O17 on hand? It might relax him enough to get him down to the craft. Someone help the girl onto her feet." I want to argue that Cato needs more than a bunch of numbers but I can't make my lips move to form the words. All I can see are those blue eyes of his, stressed but still bold as someone fastens a mask over his mouth and nose, and that's what I hold onto as Capitol medics swarm around us.

Whatever O17 is, it must be fast working because within seconds Cato's eyelids are drooping and his spasms come to a close. Although I don't like the fact that he's being drugged, I know in a non-hazy part of my mind that he needs to calm down. That's why I don't protest as a couple of medics lift him up off the ground and begin to carry him towards the hovercraft stalling in the clearing below the cornucopia. Another medic helps me stand up and wraps a blanket around my shoulders as I am slowly helped off the structure. My legs feel wobbly underneath me but I know that if I got up onto the cornucopia I can get down again. I feel so much weaker now that the adrenaline has worn off, and I know that Cato must be feeling the same way. I keep my eyes on him the whole time, his existence keeping me grounded. After a few minutes with the drug, he has recovered enough to slowly walk on his own legs, but the men who had been carrying him have their arms around his shoulders, supporting him as he takes heavy steps.

Cato turns to look at me and his face curls into a weak smile. I hobble over to him and let him wrap one arm around my shoulders as I take the place of one of the medics. I instantly feel the weight of his body as he allows me to support him but I don't make a sound. We make it onto the hovercraft together and I sit us both down on a bench beside the door. A few men and women walk around us, giving us a knowing look every once and a while as the doors close and the craft begins to start up. Not long after that, the man that had helped me stand in the arena approaches us holding a syringe. Cato finds my hand and entwines his fingers with mine but I think it's to comfort me more than him.

"Now Cato, this is so we can fix you up. It'll be a little prick and then you'll sleep for a while, okay? Does that sound alright?" Cato smirks and I'm comforted that he's a little more like himself again.

"I'm not a child," He laughs, "Drug me up." I look at our intertwined hands with a grin on my face as Cato sticks his arm out to the doctor. Without a fuss the needle is injected into his arm and Cato rubs it subconsciously when it is removed.

"I'll be back soon." He whispers softly, tracing circles onto my hand with his thumb. I nod and smile at him.

"Congratulations Cato, on the victory." The last thing he does before his eyes close and he slumps against the wall is smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hello again! I hope you all enjoyed reading the pilot chapter of Crowd of Two! I got 7 reviews, which is so great, thank you everyone! It means so much to me that people enjoyed reading it, and especially those who went and read Wrong Crowd too. **

**I thought I should tell you my plan for how I'm going to update this story. I plan to update one chapter a week, and that's actually for your benefit. I've got my end of year exams approaching fast and I'm not going to have much time to update, but I have plans for the next seven chapters. I thought it would be better to steadily update once a week, rather than update a few times a week for two weeks and then have to go on hiatus for a month or two while I get my head back in order. I hope you understand! :)  
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**This chapter is a day early, and it's because I received a wonderful review (not that all the others weren't!) from Panda-Chan8 and this is for her: "Hey, this Panda_Chan girl left me a really nice, long review. I think I'll update Crowd Of Two soon, just for her!" Enjoy chapter two!  
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Crowd of Two

Chapter Two

Grey's POV

For a while I sit in the corner of the operating room, as close to Cato as I'm allowed to be. He's all I have left, after all. I don't even think about going back to District 4 in a week's time, the reaping seems like so long ago that I can barely remember my old routine, let alone fit back into it. But somehow I know that as long as I stay with Cato, everything will turn out okay.

It's dark when we land somewhere in the Capitol and I disembark surrounded by Peacekeepers. I see in the dim light a stretcher that holds an unconscious Cato, a silver insulation blanket wrapped tightly around him. A young man in medical scrubs runs after the moving stretcher, holding a liquid filled bag that connects to Cato's arm through a drip. Instinctively I try to move towards him, wanting to comfort the recovering victor, but a Peacekeeper grabs my arm and roughly keeps pulling me in the direction everyone else is moving. No one speaks and from the way we are winding through back-streets, I figure that everyone is trying to get us out of the Capitol with as least fuss as possible.

As we come into view of the station, the train engine already warming up and issuing a final boarding call, our group picks up speed and starts to jog. I can't see why, the train is only open to people related to the Hunger Games: victors, escorts, mentors. So why are we in such a hurry? I strain to try and see Cato's stretcher but it has disappeared, presumably to a more secluded boarding area. There are a few Capitol citizens in their usual flamboyant outfits heading home from work and they look up when we pass. One man is wearing a pink ensemble while holding a black briefcase, and for a split second that confuses me.

A Peackeeper steps between us, shielding me from them as I am tugged up onto the platform and pushed into a waiting carriage. I hear the sound of untraceable camera flashes as the doors slide to a close and I realise that even though we are out of the games, we haven't stopped running from the Capitol.

I take a few deep breaths while I stand in the entrance of the train as it begins to move away from the station. Suddenly a door opens and a group of people run towards me screaming in delight. It's not until they have leapt at me that I realise I'm in the embrace of my escort Domitia and my prep team. I'm in the same outfit from the games, my entire body caked in blood and dirt because I refused to leave Cato while he was in surgery. The doctors had poked and prodded me to prove that I was still functioning correctly while I was sitting in the operating theatre, and my tracker had been removed along with any serious injuries, but apart from that my state of wellbeing is appalling. I'm surprised by Domitia's tight hold over me even with the gore staining my clothes and I realise that I must not have been the only person to grow during this year's games.

I try to distinguish one voice from another but they are all shrieking either about how proud they are of me, how attractive they always thought Cato was, or how I need to go through another waxing session. I nod and smile through it, comforted by the familiarity of insignificant chatter.

Eventually they sense that I'm exhausted and just want quiet and they leave to another carriage, gossiping about all the upcoming events I will be forced to attend. I have a few seconds of pure blissful silence before the door from the opposite side of the carriage slides open and Finnick steps in. He comes closer and his eyes take in my blood soaked arena clothes. Finnick's lips twitch into a smirk that he tries to hide as he looks me up and down.

"Hey sweetheart." My dark haired mentor murmurs, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. There are no congratulations; no pride that I won, just a damp sort of happiness in both of our hearts, trying to be pleased but knowing that there is no way this is the end of the nightmare. I'm glad that I have someone who feels the same way that I do.

"How is Cato?" I ask him once we have sat down next to each other. Finnick turns to look at me, a look of genuine interest on his face, as if he wasn't sure if I had been making my feelings for him up until now.

"I haven't heard much. Earlier I saw his mentor, Brutus, guarding a door in the next carriage; I suppose that's where he is recovering. Be wary of Brutus, it wouldn't surprise me if he tried to tap into Cato's training to get his old tribute back."

"I'll keep that in mind." I reply quietly, getting up to find the room Finnick referred to, when I suddenly remember something.

"Wasn't there meant to be an interview with Caesar Flickerman tonight?" I ask, dreading what could have possibly happened in order to cancel such an important event and wondering how I could have forgotten.

"There was. But when you and Cato pulled that little _hoax_, you basically stuck it to the Capitol and the president is personally offended. The interview was cancelled as they were afraid that you would say something that could be destructive, and we got you out as soon as possible."

"Afraid that we could start something?" I tentatively repeat, "What, like a rebellion?" Finnick's eyes are emotionless, but there's a certain fear deep inside that makes my blood run cold.

"Sweetheart, the rebellion has begun."

With Finnick's cryptic words repeating in my head, I move into the next carriage with the intention of finding Cato. I know that he'll know just the right thing to do. During the games he was there for me, saving my life even though it went against everything he had been taught. But when I step into the other carriage and nearly collide with Cato, I realise that Finnick is right; things have changed. His light blue eyes are ice cold and he stares me down as if he is trying to make me disappear with his gaze alone. Compared to my ghastly appearance Cato looks angelic, his body scrubbed clean of all the grime and his multiple wounds removed completely by the Capitol doctors. The only thing that reveals his recent exploit is how he holds his left hand stiffly at his side, almost as if he doesn't have full strength with it yet.

"You shouldn't be here." He says coldly. I open my mouth, ready to reply, but his expression makes the words fade away before I have a chance to say them.

Cato folds his arms menacingly as he leans against the wall.

"I suppose your mentor has told you about the rebellion." He states; it's not a question. "I think it would be best for the both of us if we just pretended none of the things in the arena happened. I don't care about you, you don't care about me. We were blinded for a few days by the stress we were under, but now I see the truth. I'm a career and you are some scum from 4. I will be disembarking from the train with my mentor as soon as we arrive in District 2." I stare at Cato, my mouth open in shock. I can't make myself say anything, even though all I want to do is scream at him that he's wrong, that his mentor has just put words into his mouth. I had expected Cato to be like he was when he sacrificed his win for the both of us back in the arena, because he had cared for me then. But I don't fully believe my own story, and all I can do is slap him in the face and run towards the end of the train, sobbing with tears streaming down my face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hi! I'm posting this in the morning, a couple of hours before my family is leaving on a skiing weekend, and I haven't even packed yet! I wanted to get this chapter out first, or else you would have to wait another 3 days for an update. So here it is! Thank you for everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I really appreciate it and it's hard to get across how much they really do mean to me. Any advice you can give me would be great, or even just a :) ! I really should get going, so here's chapter three and I hope you enjoy it!**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Three

Cato's POV

As my cheek stings from Grey's hand hitting my face I feel a flash of anger rising; no one slaps me. But when I hear a loud sob escape her as she tears through the train away from me, I feel like I've done something terribly wrong. What's happened to me? Before the games I was emotionless, I didn't feel regret, and I didn't have to worry about whether my actions would affect some girl. But now I'm full of conflicting emotions that no matter how hard I try to control them just keep coming back, screaming at me.

I feel a deep flush of shame, a rare emotion, as it dawns on me. I had almost become a real person in the games, with a conscience and feelings and somebody that had actually maybe even loved me. But then when I woke up after my surgery, Brutus happened.

_"Delirious, injured." My mentor had instructed me, leaning over my stretcher while I regained consciousness and my mind was still hazy. "You didn't know what you were doing, you felt nothing for that scum, and you were just trying to make your district proud. Maybe you won't be a complete waste if you just pretend this never happened. But first you have to cut off any loose ends." _

I had woken up fully in an empty room, unexplainably angry at Grey for stealing my victory. And then I had told her what Brutus had spoon-fed me, changing back to my old monster self. Because maybe that's just who I am supposed to be.

I start to run in the direction that Grey had gone, calling out for her but knowing she isn't going to listen to me. It's funny how you can ruin something with just a minute of stupidity. After a few minutes of running I'm wondering how many carriages this train has, when suddenly I open a door and come out onto the back balcony of the train with only a bar separating me from the fast moving tracks. Grey is hanging onto the bar like it is all she has left, and for a moment I'm afraid that she's going to fling herself off as we hurtle along the tracks, but I know that no victor of the games would ever do that when they have given so much to live, especially her. She struggles as I envelope her in my arms, pulling her back into the train compartment. She turns her head to look at me and when she confirms who it is she fights back harder, kicking me roughly in the shin. I instinctively want to hiss and I feel my temper bubble but I manage to hold it in and instead lift her off the ground and restrain her failing limbs as I carry her back to the middle of the train.

Grey screams a whole dictionary of obscenities at me as I carry her, but she quickly exhausts herself from kicking me and becomes sullen but well behaved. I stride into my room and place her on the bed, where she curls into a fetal position with her blonde hair shielding her face from me. I figure that she isn't going to say anything but she surprises me when she does.

"What, you've brought me back so you can ridicule me again?" Her tone is knife sharp and I instantly know that I have deeply hurt her. I want to say something to make this better but she interrupts me.

"Why did you say such horrible things to me, especially when we both know they aren't true?" That question stumps me; I hadn't expected Grey to say that. And for that reason I don't have a sarcastic answer waiting and I gape for a few seconds before I am forced to go with the raw truth instead.

"Brutus was there when I woke up; trying to make me into the emotionless career I was back in 2. He succeeded so you must have been wrong about me; I _am_ just a broken monster." Grey sits up and reaches to touch my cheek. I flinch away from her and she drops her hand when she feels me tense.

"Brutus' actions are not your fault, but what came out of your mouth was. You are your own person, so stop thinking that everyone has the right to control you. You're not a monster, but we are _both _broken. That's why we need each other more than ever, Cato. Please." Her eyes are wide and terrified, as if she is imagining facing this alone.

"No more pretending." She whispers.

Grey's POV

Cato's eyes widen slightly at my comment, as if he is about to argue that he isn't pretending to be brave, he _is_ brave. But when he makes eye contact with me he quickly looks away again, ashamed, and I realise that as well as hurting me, Brutus' little attempt to make Cato a career again hurt Cato as well. He didn't think it was so easy for someone to change him back into a monster, even for a second but here he was back at square one. Or so he thinks. I give him a strong hug but I can feel some tension in his frame still so I give him a passionate kiss that makes him groan into my mouth, his problems temporarily forgotten.

We walk hand in hand into the lounge where I talked with Finnick not long ago and I notice as the doors close behind us that Brutus is there and the two of them are having a heated discussion. I catch the end of their conversation as Brutus points at us and shouts one last comment with the intention of winning the argument.

"Just look at them, he's become an idiot, he is a disgrace to the district. And she is no better, how can you be in support of them together?" I feel Cato freeze beside me. He wanted to win the games to make his district proud; being told that he has done the opposite is a very low blow and his mentor knows it.

"You know what?" I step forward, and I feel Cato shadow but not stop me, "I don't know you, but stop treating Cato like this. He won! He brought a LOT of pride to District 2 so stop attacking him! You should be thanking him." I have the urge to spit in Brutus' face but I know to hold it in. Finnick is looking at me, nodding ever so slightly. Brutus has his mouth curled into a malicious sneer; I half expect him to punch me in the face and I'm tempted to just ask him to get it over with, but when he replies his voice is unexpectedly quiet.

"Getting your girlfriend to fight your battles now Cato?" He smirks and walks out of the room, giving Cato a cold hard stare that makes Cato stick his chest out aggressively in response, before walking out of the carriage. Cato clenches his fists in anger but says nothing, and Finnick stands up and places a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't listen to him, Cato." He says, and I realise that this is the first time he has directly spoken to Cato. The blonde victor nods curtly and puts a strong expression on his face, taking my hand in his.

"I think it is best if Grey accompanies you to your district, to make sure nothing gets out of hand. It'll be good for the both of you. Get some rest now, in several hours we arrive at 2."

The two of us pause outside our separate rooms in the train, as if we are waiting for the other to admit that they want them there for when the expected nightmares come. Instead, Cato gives a curt goodnight and kisses me on the forehead, lingering for a moment before entering his room and letting the door slide shut behind him. I know he is only hurt and slightly indignant about the day's events and the criticism made of him, but it is a harsh reminder that any second Cato could easily become emotionally distant and actually turn into his old self permanently. I remind myself that by sparing my life in the arena, he has already changed beyond repair but it does nothing to comfort me.

My bedroom is pleasant and clean, although it is almost completely empty except for a bed and a wardrobe. There's a large window that gives a view of the passing scenery and if I wanted to I know that I could change it into a view from any district. I explore my room in the hopes of finding a bathroom and once I locate the shower I have the most vigorous wash that I have had in my entire life. It takes a good 10 minutes before the water running off my body is no longer discoloured. I feel so much better once I'm cleaned of the blood of former tributes, and I put on a short, blue nightdress that was hung in the cupboard. I brush the knots out of my hair with a brush as I try to keep the thoughts of Cato in the adjacent room out of my head and with nothing in the room to amuse my thoughts I decide to go to bed early.

My dreams that night are plagued with the worst nightmares I have ever experienced. I had been prepared for them after hearing the multiple interviews with past victors that discussed how they were haunted for many years with the screams of the dead, but hearing about it is nothing compared to experiencing it. First I relive the bloodbath where I killed my first tribute. The whole moment is dragged out as the boy falls to the ground, his eyes wide in a look of shock. Then I see Rue in her last moments, her eyes more frightened than I remember as Spens cackles evilly. But this time he doesn't stop and he continues to stab her, even though she is long dead. I can't move my legs to push him away, so I am forced to watch it again and again. And then I begin to see Cato's deaths. Sometimes he is stabbed by Spens, ripped apart by Mutts like Marvel, or drowned in the river, but all the situations lead to him lying motionless on the ground in front of me. Then it repeats and I am forced to watch a new massacre that my mind creates.

"Grey. Grey, please. Wake up." My eyes flash open and I am instantly aware of a burning in my throat which tells me that I have been screaming. Cato is standing over me with his hand on my shoulder, still shaking me gently. I can see goose-bumps on his arms and bare chest but he doesn't move. His eyes are wide and shadowed and I can tell that he hasn't slept.

I try to say that I am okay and he can go back to his room but instead it comes out as a whimper, which makes Cato come closer and perch on the bed near my head. I don't bother saying that I don't need him, because he already knows that I do. Cato pulls the covers away from my body and slides in beside me. He wraps one hand around my waist and begins to stroke my hair gently with the other, entwining his legs with mine until we can't get any closer together. The proximity seems to be therapeutic for the both of us, because in a few minutes the pressure around me becomes relaxed and Cato's head falls gently against the pillow in sleep, his breathing slow after so long being rushed.

I have no more nightmares that night; he has two. Cato sleeps for a couple of hours uninterrupted but wakes both of us up when he cries out. I see out of the corner of my eye his expression instantly change into one that is blank and expressionless, not wanting to admit to being afraid. I don't know if he realizes I'm awake, so I lie dead still, pretending I'm still asleep. If he knows, he ignores it, and gently touches my cheek to reassure himself that I'm still there, before eventually falling back asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I thought I would send out chapter four early for all my lovely reviewers. The past two days have been crazy, I've had four 3-hour exams in 2 days! But oh well, last exam is tomorrow. **

**This chapter is really long, I warn you now. I was going to split it into two, but I really do want to get on with the story line, because a lot is meant to happen in this sequel! Please do review this chapter and tell me how you think the story is going, not just this chapter. I've been reading Wrong Crowd tonight and I'm pondering about whether this story is as good. Thank you so much to those who have reviewed so far, and if not, please do! **

Crowd of Two

Chapter Four

Cato's POV

I have two nightmares while I sleep beside Grey but I expected more. I am a monster after all, and there are many murders by my hands that I could relive. After the first nightmare I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart beating fast and the covers thrown off my body. It takes a few minutes before I even begin to relax, and I think about giving up on sleep and watching a rerun of the games instead, but the thought that Grey could wake up after her own nightmare in an empty bed keeps me grounded. I made her cry last night so it is the least I can do.

I turn to look at the sleeping figure beside me in the dim light. Grey looks calm and content, but the way she is breathing tells me that she might just be pretending to be asleep. I decide to humor her and gently touch her cheek, making her sigh softly, before turning over and trying to get a few more hours of sleep.

This time my nightmare is about going home to District 2. _It starts off fine; as the train comes into the station we can all hear the cheers of my friends and family as they wait in earnest for me to disembark. But as Grey and I are stepping off the train I realize that they are booing, not cheering. It's too late to get back on the train, so we are forced to take the jeers head on. My friends from the academy are all looking at me with vicious glares, calling me names that have never had such maliciousness behind them before. They are saying that I am weak, that I left a hero and came back a disappointment. In 74 years no one has come out with another victor, and in District 2 it's an embarrassment. One of my training buddies throws a can and it hits Grey in the forehead, earning a cheer from some people in the crowd._

_I grab Grey roughly by the arm and pull her to me, ignoring my jealous friends and instead looking for my parents. I locate them standing on the edge of the crowd and I run towards them, pushing the crowd of people away from Grey and I. They try to grab hold of me and I nearly fall backwards when someone pulls at my collar, but I manage to get to my mother and father. I smile at them, awaiting the congratulations that I have been waiting my entire life for, but instead my father slaps me in the face._

_"You killed Chase," He says murderously, "You are no son of mine." I gape at my father, unsure of what to say, and my reply comes out hoarse._

_"But father, I didn't. Chase was in the games 4 years ago, it wasn't me! It was the careers, they turned on him! Please, you have to believe me!" He looks me in the eye and then spits on the ground at my feet._

_"You're just as bad as that murdering career. You turned on Clove, your own district partner, for this." My father points at Grey, who had been trying to stay unnoticed and now cowers at the attention. "You are no longer welcome in this family Cato."_

_I try to argue that I couldn't save Clove, that her and definitely Chases' deaths were not my fault, but my father won't listen, and my mother stands like a lifeless doll beside him as he pushes me roughly away. I was never as strong as Chase, never as strong as my father, so I have no way to retaliate as I fall backwards and get enveloped in the crowd that is District 2. I hear Grey screaming my name and I try to reply but it's no use, I'm surrounded by people who are jeering at me, telling me to get out of District 2, but I can't escape._

I wake up with a start, sitting dead straight in bed, but Grey stays sleeping beside me and I'm glad that I didn't scream as I woke up. I hadn't dreamed about Chase for a long time, since even before the reaping, and I feel like the dream is a bad omen. My parents always wanted _Chase _to win, wanted _Chase _to bring them fame and riches. Chase could do _everything_. What would my parents say when I came home a joint-victor with a _District 4 _girl?

I slip out of bed without disturbing Grey and go out into the lounge carriage of the train where it's eerily dark, no one else being awake yet. I sit on the couch and watch the 70th Hunger Games, re-watching my brother's death over and over again.

Grey's POV

When I go out into the dining carriage of the train the next morning, I find Cato asleep on the couch; his head leaned back at an odd angle to accommodate the piece of furniture. A replay of a Hunger Games that I don't recognize is just ending, and I witness the brutal battle between two strong looking tributes. They are covered in blood and are fighting with no weapons, only their fists. I stand watching out of morbid curiosity for a few minutes, my hand resting on the top of the couch where Cato's head is resting.

On the screen, one of the fighters gets a good punch in and his opponent topples to the ground. Taking advantage of his opponent's weakness, he grasps the man's neck in his hands and pulls, making a terrible cracking noise that had to have been added later. The action looked strangely familiar and I realize after a second of thought that I saw Cato perform a similar movement in the bloodbath of our games. I wonder why he had been watching this particular year but put it down to insomnia. I didn't want to wake him, any sleep a victor could get when they weren't plagued by nightmares was important.

But as the cannon sounded for the last remaining tribute, the scene quickly changed to a shot of the Capitol loudly cheering for their victor and I cringed at the increased volume.

"_The winner of the 70__th__ annual Hunger Games is Darryn from District 7!" _I catch a glimpse of the new victor throw his fist in the air before the screen abruptly switched off and Cato is standing in front of me, breathing heavily and looking agitated. The cheering must have woken him out of his slumber.

"Grey, how much did you see?!" Cato said angrily, coming up to me and trying to ward me away. I look into his eyes, the tell-tale sign of what he was really feeling, but instead of the expected anger I see a deep grief.

"Nothing Cato, I just woke up and came to see if you were okay." I used my calming voice and it did the trick, making the blonde victor nod and bring me into his arms.

"I'm sorry I left you alone in your room, I had a bad dream and thought I'd watch some tv." I know he's lying; the 70th games haven't been replayed in a long time, the Capitol liked to replay the most recent one so the pain was still fresh. But I know Cato will tell me if he needs to so I let it go, I don't want to set him off; we're arriving in his district today. I smile at him to show that he's forgiven and he squeezes me tightly before heading back to his room to shower before breakfast.

By the time we've sat through a comedic breakfast with Finnick and Domitia (Cato's mentor and escort are expectedly absent), Cato is back to normal and actually a little excited about going back home. He has a twinkle in his eyes that I haven't seen before. Our prep teams do our hair but we're still done up from the end of the games and don't need the whole waxing palaver. I get given a grey knee length dress made of a beautiful silk material with a bejeweled bodice that I think is a little over the top for meeting Cato's friends and parents, but when he sees it he nods and tells me I look perfect, so I must be underestimating District 2's formality. Cato himself is wearing a crisp navy suit with a blue tie that brings out his eyes, and if I hadn't met him in the games I would have assumed he always wore one. My curiosity begins to peak as I wonder just what I am going to encounter when we get to District 2.

By the time the train inconspicuously pulls into the District 2 station, both Cato and I have our faces pressed to the window overlooking the district. I'm not sure what I had expected of Cato's district, but I'm surprised none the less. Firstly, the whole place is empty and I'm about to ask Cato why no one has come to greet us, when he grabs my arm and tugs me forcefully out the sliding door like a child entering a bakery. He makes no indication that the lack of fans surprises him and he barely gives me any time to look around before we are ushered into a black car. I have time to look at our surroundings once we begin driving and I take the opportunity to glue my face to the window.

As far as the eye can see are grey, dreary factory buildings with large fences separating one from another. I can see lights on in most of the buildings and there are shadows moving around inside. I'm sure this place would look okay if it was a little brighter, but even though it's mid-morning the sun seems to have permanently disappeared. I look to Cato for an explanation and by the way he instantly replies I figure that he expected me to be curious about this.

"This is what we call the dark section of District 2, and it's not a very nice place. It's where all the masonry factories are found and the people who work here are usually less well off. The government won't admit it, but we all know that the station is in this part so we can show everyone passing through that we do in fact mine in the mountain." I nod without saying anything; it makes sense. District 2 is known for training peacekeepers and building weapons in secret, but if anyone tries to uncover it, the district always has masonry to fall back on.

"Why is it so dark here?" I venture, slipping my hand into his as if the darkness is going to suddenly turn into a mutt and engulf the car.

"Look out my window." He says as an answer, and when I lean over him to look I see why it's self-explanatory. There's a giant mountain situated a few kilometers away from the road we are driving on and I can see that the sun is being hidden completely behind it. By the way this area is called the "dark section" I figure that the sun never gets over the mountain, leaving the area in constant darkness.

"It's our district's military base. Very secretive, we tributes are told nothing about it. Less is more if you're ever interrogated. My father works somewhere inside there, I've never visited him though; too much effort getting cleared. I guess you can figure out we didn't have a 'playing catch in the yard' relationship."

I don't reply to Cato and instead sit quietly in my seat. I wonder what Cato's family is going to be like when I meet them; the idea Cato had given me so far wasn't particularly positive. I try not to think about it as the car turns onto a newly sealed road and sun beams into the window, bathing us in sunlight. I catch glimpses of expensive houses with picket fences and perfectly pruned trees but we continue to drive deeper and deeper into the district, until each house looks about as expensive as my whole street back in District 4.

Cato and I sit in silence for the remainder of the journey, as he makes no move to start a conversation and I have a feeling he's steeling himself for this reunion. The car turns into a clean crisp driveway with tall trees shrouding it, causing the car to go dark for a few seconds. In that moment Cato finds my hand and whispers, "Don't worry, they'll all love you." I don't reply because I'm afraid that I'll ask why he's so nervous to see his own parents again, and I can't do that, so instead I just make a grunt that I hope sounds like I'm fine and sit straighter in my seat.

We drive up to a magnificent house and I can't help but stare because of how impressive it is. The car drives in a circle around a large fountain and I get a full 180 degree look of what I presume is Cato's house. I'm in awe of it and can't quite believe that this is where the man sitting next to me, who just days ago was standing in the arena covered in grime and blood, comes from. Suddenly the dress I am wearing doesn't seem so out of place and I realise why Cato looks so natural in his suit; this is his life.

My family back in District 4 were relatively well off, but this puts us to shame. The house looks like it could pass for one in the Capitol; enormous and slightly frightening. There are acres of land on either side that I can see from the windows of the car and even straining my eyes I can't find the edge of the property. Cato sits dead still and avoids looking out the windows, staring at the back of the seat in front of him with almost a sour expression on his face instead, the perfect image of a career.

The car slows to a stop and I would have tumbled out of the car in excitement, if it weren't for the fact that my side door was locked. I gape at no one in particular because Cato is busy getting out of the car himself and has his back to me. Before I can slide over the seat to exit from his door, he slams it shut and moves round the side of the car, opening my door himself and gesturing me out with a wave of his hand. It seems so strange but natural for him to do it that I don't even question as he shuts the door and walks me away from the car. His hand gravitates to the small of my back and he bends his head to speak quietly in my ear.

"I hope you know how to curtsy."

Cato's comment makes me unnecessarily stressed, which knee did you bend in a curtsy again? It pains me to imagine the dumbfounded expression I must have given Cato's parents when they first opened the large door to their house, wondering just how formal I was expected to be. At least I presumed the two adults standing in front of me were Cato's parents, the way he enveloped the woman in an embrace cemented my inkling. Cato shared her eyes and hair, but apart from small similarities, they could have just been people meeting in the street. It was obvious that Cato took after his father, the domineeringly large man standing in the corner that was pretty much Cato in every way.

Even thought it was obvious by how Cato was holding himself, his chest pushed out slightly, that he expected recognition for his victory from his father, the man merely sniffed in disdain and disappeared inside the house without a word or a look in my direction. I hadn't even had time to curtsy… Or was I meant to kiss his ring?

I watched this interaction occur silently, not wanting to intrude but not wanting to leave either. I heard Cato growl and his mother sigh, showing the obvious difference of how they both acted in the presence of the man that had disappeared into the house. It wasn't difficult to imagine many confrontations between the men of the house, and seeing Cato's father I didn't think Cato came off the winner very often.

As if he had forgotten I was even standing there, Cato suddenly whipped his head towards me and his eyes widened.

"Oh! Mother, I'm sure you… This is Grey." He stumbled on his words slightly and I wondered if he was still thinking about the rejection he had unjustifiably earned from his father. Cato's mother's eyes tune on me and I feel myself being subtly searched for flaws, as if I would be dirty from not just the games but District 4 itself. I take this slightly offensive action graciously and curtsy with possibly the most grace I had ever managed before in my life, and it obviously pleases her because she turns to her son and giggles.

"Cato, you told her to curtsy didn't you? I'm not royalty you know!" Her expression told otherwise but the way Cato was smiling told me that this had been his plan all along. Obviously his mother valued her status very highly and I decided to keep that fact lest it be important in a later confrontation.

Cato's mother, "Julia" as she is later formally introduced to me, welcomes us inside and Cato ambles in while I tentatively follow his mother in her exceptionally high heels. It's not until we enter an expensively decorated living area that I realise Cato did not follow us in. Julia notices my confused expression and grasps my hand, pulling me further into the room.

"Cato will have gone to see his friends, love," She smiles kindly at me, "You can meet them after we have tea. I wanted you to meet the ladies first." I send a hopefully not too fake smile her way and when she turns to lead me towards a group of sour faced ladies, I look towards the door and wish Cato had taken me with him.

Holding a possibly million dollar china cup in my lap, I listen to the rambles of middle aged District 2 women as I try to keep the expression of boredom off my face. I'm sure Julia only wanted to include me but it seems that as soon as she introduced me to these ladies, I was instantly forgotten about. My eyes roam around the room lazily and are instantly brought to attention when the door opens and Cato pokes his head in. He catches my gaze and I mouth 'Help me' to him, relishing in the smirk that he sends back my way.

"Mother," He says with touch of a whine in his voice as I rise and walk over to him, "Can I take Grey outside to meet the boys? We've been traveling all day and I think she'll want to rest soon." I reach Cato and his arm snakes around me, and when he places his hand a little inappropriately low I realise that I probably won't be resting alone.

"But of course," Cato's mother says royally, waving her hand at us, "I ordered her bags to be delivered to the spare room so they will be there already. The party will go on long into the night, but I'm sure you won't be disturbed by the noise. Goodnight Grey." I quietly call out a thank you and farewell, and Cato and I hurry out like two teenagers caught in the act of misbehaving.

When Cato slips the door closed, he smirks at me and brings me closer until my back is pressed against his chest.

"I can't wait until we're alone," He purrs in my ear, "But my friends want to meet you and I promised them that I'd _rescue_ you from the clutches of my mother and introduce you to them." My mind drifts to what Cato and I would be doing later that night and I hazily nod before Cato opens a door and leads me into another large room. I'm starting to think that every room in this house is enormous.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hi! I'm quite excited because so as I write this, Crowd of Two has 20 reviews for 4 chapters! Way more than Wrong Crowd got in it's first chapters, which is great because I always assumed that my sequel would get much less attention. So thank you everyone that has been reviewing! It's even made me start to review the stories I enjoy a lot more, because I know how great it makes a writer feel.**

**I'm curious to see what everyone thinks about this chapter, because Cato is a bit OOC. Hopefully it just benefits his character and makes you see a different side of him, instead of making you think he's too un Cato-like. ****  
**

Chapter Five

Grey's POV

"Cato's got a girlfriend!" Someone calls out as we walk into the center of the room and suddenly everyone around us is shouting and calling out as we are bombarded with Cato's friends. There are about a dozen people in the room with us, most of them strong looking boys that are obviously Cato's training buddies. The thought crosses my mind that if Clove hadn't gone into the games, she would be here now with us but I try to put it out of my mind. Now isn't the time to mourn for our lost friends. But actually so far, I haven't found a time that is.

I am so busy looking around the room greeting each person who approaches me that I'm surprised when I feel an arm wrap around my stomach. I turn to see Cato standing beside me with two teenage guys that I have yet to be introduced to walking towards us. The first boy comes up to me and instantly wraps me in a tight hug, nearly lifting me off the ground. He has black hair and the brightest green eyes that I have ever seen, and he reminds me a lot of Marvel and also Titus, my district 4 best friend, in terms of his stature.

The second boy is the smallest out of the three and is only slightly taller than me. His hair is such a light brown that it might even be copper or blonde in some light. He seems more secluded and only reaches out to shake my hand, but when we make eye contact I see a playful expression in his eyes that tells me it's just a ruse. Maybe because Cato and the black haired boy are both so outgoing and loud, he feels the need to show he has a quieter side to balance the other two out. The two of them look quite young compared to Cato, with faces that are more common on people younger, but I suspect that both of them are 18 or 19.

"Grey, meet Lux," Cato gestures to the black haired tribute who bows extravagantly to me, "and this is Seb!" Seb looks up and grins widely, apparently now comfortable enough to show the personality I expected from him. I smile widely at the two and I see Cato nearly bursting with excitement seeing the important people in his life together. He has his chest pushed out and his chin slightly up, and he looks adorable although I'd never tell him that here.

"We've been in the same class at the academy since we were 12 years old!" Lux beams, obviously proud that he is lucky enough to know one of the newest victors of the Hunger Games, "Cato always used to beat us at sparring, but Seb won against him in a wrestling match once!"

I assume that this year was their last chance at going into the games, as Cato will be 19 next year and out of the reaping pool, but it seems that neither of his friends holds any hard feelings about the situation. Seb is positively beaming at the memory of beating his best friend at a strength match, even if it was just once.

"Never again, Sebby," Cato smirks, "Tomorrow we can go to the academy and I'll spar with you until you scream for mercy." I'm shocked by Cato's outburst but Seb and the people around us just laugh and I force myself to join in, realising that this is just how he jokes with his friends.

I answer a few more of his friends' questions as enthusiastically as possible, with an unsurprising amount being about the weapons in the games and how I learnt to fight. But after a while the attention makes me feel quite tired and I want to just curl up in bed and sleep for 12 hours. I gently tug on Cato's suit sleeve and he turns to me, eying my sleepy stance at once. He instantly has one arm around my waist as he starts to say goodbye to his friends, but I interrupt him.

"No no Cato, don't worry about me, you can come back after you show me to my room. You haven't seen these guys in a month; you deserve to spend time with them!" Lux howls in delight, shouting something about me 'blocking Cato' but Cato drags me out of the room before I can ask what he means.

Cato takes me back into the foyer where we first entered that afternoon and up a huge majestic flight of stairs. He bounds up the stairs so quickly and naturally that I have to jog to keep up with him. The house is only two floors and once we get to the top, we end up in a long corridor with various ornate doors leading off into rooms that are irrelevant to me. There's so many that for a moment I even ponder asking if Cato actually knows where all of them lead.

Cato stops at the top of the staircase, where the passageway splits and goes in two directions. He points to the left.

"My room is that way, but my _father_ set you up in the guest room, all the way over this side." We walk down the right path and I count four closed doors before we stop in front of one and Cato opens it. I walk inside without hesitating but Cato stays leaning against the doorframe.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" He grins at me slyly, probably thinking about all the things we could be doing right now. I want more than anything for him to push me against the bed so I can feel the strength he has in his body, but I'm exhausted and I would possibly fall asleep half way through so I shake my head at him.

"I do, but I'm so tired… You have no idea how conflicted I am!" I reply as I walk fully into the room, taking notice of my bag in the corner before turning and making eye contact with the blonde young man at my threshold. Cato rolls his eyes as if he's annoyed but then grins at me.

"I believe you… This time. Remember, if you wake up during the night, just come and see me, okay?" I nod, knowing that although Cato is acting like we'd have some fun if I happened to appear in his room, it would most likely be due to nightmares and he knows it. The blonde victor kisses me on the nose and then disappears down the hall again, wishing me a goodnight with a wink.

I close the door after Cato's footsteps fade away and take a look at my surroundings. I'm in the guest room and apart from a few photographs it's not very personalised. The room is decorated as if we were living multiple centuries ago, which fits with the old style that the rest of the house falls under, with brown tones and hints of royal red. The bed is the center piece of the room, done up beautifully and perfectly matching the dresser and mirror adjacent to it. There is an enormous window that takes up nearly the entire wall opposite the dresser, and it somehow manages to create a modern twist on an old styled room. I love it immediately.

My interests about the room itself sufficiently quenched for the moment, I move over to the dresser where there are three photos propped up in frames in front of the mirror. I drop down to my knees to look at them and I turn to the one on the far left first. It's a family scene with four people dressed in white, and I immediately recognize Cato who is standing between his father and an older boy that I don't recognize. Cato's father towers above his son, who I presume to be about 10 at the time this photo was taken. Cato is looking adoringly at the boy standing beside him, who has his arm wrapped around him protectively. They look extraordinarily similar, both with the same light hair and ice blue eyes. _But I thought Cato was an only child…_

I shuffle over on my knees so I have a good view of the second picture. This time it's only a picture of the two boys, except a lot of time has passed since the last photo was taken. Cato and the older boy are wearing some sort of track suit which bears the number 2 on the front. Cato is holding a large sword fiercely in front of him but he's too young to have the muscle mass that he has now and the weapon looks comical in his hands. The other boy is staring at Cato with an exasperated but loving expression on his face, and I instantly know that they had a strong bond. _Surely this couldn't be Cato's brother, why keep it a secret if he has one? And why have I never heard about or met him?_

The third and final photo shows only Cato, and I recognize the outfit he is wearing from his reaping, a simple black suit with blue embellishments. He is standing at the District 2 train station, supposedly ready to board for the Capitol, but it's his face, not the setting, that strikes me as puzzling. When you first look at it you see a strong, cold, calculating expression, the face of a career, but if you look closer you see the conflicted emotions in his eyes. I wonder where the boy of the first two photos has gone, and I pull the second picture out of the frame, hoping to find a caption. Luckily, Cato's family is very organised and there is a small sentence of handwritten cursive on the back.

Chase (17) and Cato (14) training at the academy.

_Chase._ There's a tiny flicker of recognition when I hear the name, but my mind can't make the connection. I give up trying to figure it out after a few moments, and with my curiosity having been quelled until I see Cato tomorrow, I'm about to put the photograph back in its frame when the door opens.

"Hey Grey, I was just coming to bring you a towel in case you wanted to sh- Oh." I look up and see Cato standing stock still in the doorway, the towel dropped and instantly forgotten on the floor. He's looking at the photo in my hand and suddenly he's next to me, tugging it out of my grasp and pulling the other frames off the dresser.

"I can't believe my mother left these here." He mutters, sliding them into his suit pocket.

"Cato?" I interrupt his irritated rant and he looks me straight in the eye, his gaze calculating and defensive. "Who's Chase?"

"He's no one. Someone I knew a long time ago. Just forget about it Grey, please." Cato says quietly, beginning to walk away from me. I stop him with a hand on his arm, but he shrugs away from the touch. However, he stops after a few steps and when he returns his gaze to me I see through his eyes that his emotions are shattering. I know instantly that I've hit something that he's tried hard for a long time to keep hidden.

"Please Cato, tell me. You can trust me." I try to lead him to my bed but he stays standing there like a statue as I sit down. It almost looks like he's going into shock. His earlier joking personality is long gone and I can see his shoulders heaving as he attempts to control his emotions. He is probably trying to come up with an excuse so he can leave, but after a second of conflicted silence he must give up because he follows me to the bed and lies down so his head is in my lap and his face is looking towards the ceiling.

He relinquishes the photos to me after some coaxing and I run my fingers through his hair to try and make him elaborate on this mystery boy. Eventually he does.

"Chase was my older brother. I looked up to him like he was a god. Everything he did I wanted to do, and that included becoming a career tribute. He was the most amazing sword-man that you could ever imagine, and I worked hard to become just as good as he was." I stay silent, knowing that this is something that Cato does not tell everybody. Even now his voice is cracking and I hold my breath, praying that the unusual display of emotions from his own body won't make him stop.

"Reaping day snuck up on all of us. I was 14 at the time. Suddenly my big brother was volunteering for the 70th Hunger Games, and I was so proud. Everyone in my family was, especially my father. He always loved Chase; Chase was perfect in his eyes and I guess I never matched up in quite the same way. We watched the games from start to finish, cheering at Chase's successes, throwing things around when someone got the upper hand. But we always knew he was coming back; there was no doubt about it. Until one day he didn't. I was the only one watching, down to the final two as he and Darryn from District 7, the first career to be from 7 in a long time, fought on the cornucopia. His opponent got the upper hand somehow, maybe Chase was tired, and in an instant my brother's neck was broken and he was just another dead tribute in the dust. I called for my parents and when my father came rushing in and saw the broadcast, he slapped me in the face and called me a liar for fabricating my own brother's death. It was never the same after that. Not with any of us."

My mouth is open in shock when Cato finishes his story and I look down at him to see that there are silent tears streaking down his face. He reaches up his hand for the photo I'm still holding, the one of him and Chase, and I readily give it to him. How could I deprive him of that after what he just revealed to me? There's a few seconds of silence as he looks over it, and I begin to think that Cato has finished speaking, when he adds one last comment.

"This was the last picture that was taken of the two of us. He died a month later in the arena, even though he promised me that he would come home. Brothers aren't meant to break promises like that." And with that Cato's face scrunches up and he presses his palms to his eyes, letting out a guttural moan as he starts to cry harder, big sobs that look exhausting and remind me of Clove's death. Except this time there is no anger or regret, just grief, and I stroke his hair, his neck, his tear stained cheeks, until at some point he falls asleep, clutching the last photograph of his lost brother in his hand.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Thank you to the 4 people who reviewed the last chapter, I really appreciate your lovely comments! Although I wish you sneaky silent readers (I don't blame you, I'm like that a lot with the stories I read) would reply, I'm just glad that you are reading and hopefully enjoying my story. But of course, if you DID review, that would be awesome! **

**I'd just like to add before you get onto reading chapter six, that yesterday I uploaded a one-shot that talks about Cato. It follows both the movie and the book, but talks a bit about the childhood that I made up for him and I'd love it if you took a look at it! Ok, without further ado...**

Chapter Six

Grey's POV

I don't know when I fall asleep, but when I wake up I have an incredibly sore neck from lying around Cato, who's still lying on the bed beside me with his cheek pressed into the sheets. For a second I think that he hasn't moved since last night, but after I've rubbed my eyes and stretched the kinks out of my limbs I realise that his hair looks slightly damp and he's stripped off his suit and changed into jeans and a button up shirt. At some point he must have pulled up the blanket from the bottom of the bed because he has it wrapped tightly around his upper body, shielding himself from the night chill.

I peek beyond Cato's form and I'm not particularly surprised when I see the three photo frames missing. I sigh because this is typical Cato, it's not a problem unless it's glaring him in the face and by hiding them order is somehow restored.

"Morning…" A tired voice says and I notice Cato leaning on one elbow and looking up at me. Well actually, I notice the enormous bruise on the left side of his jaw first. He must see my shocked expression because he tentatively reaches up to touch the swelled skin and winces when he makes contact. He swears softly and avoids my gaze.

Cato's POV

_Earlier…_

I wake up with a splitting headache and eyes that scream 'I cried myself to sleep.' _Perfect_. I slowly force myself to sit up and get rewarded with a spinning sensation in my head that could only be due to the alcohol Lux forced on me last night before I went to retrieve Grey from my mother. Grey is sleeping in a curled position around the spot where my head was lying, oblivious to the fact that I'm awake, so it's easy for me to slip off the bed without disturbing her. The photograph of Chase and I is crumpled in my hand and I inwardly wince when I open it to look at it, causing a dull ache to form in my chest again. _Why did she have to find the photos?_ I think to myself, _I was doing such a good job of hiding him from everyone._

I return the picture to its frame and stuff them all in one of the empty drawers of the dresser, putting it out of my mind for the moment. Hopefully Grey will know to stay away from the subject and not mention it again. The towel I had found for Grey is lying on the floor, exactly where I left it last night and I pick it up so I can use it to take a shower myself. I quietly open the door and leave the room, turning back to look at Grey's motionless form before heading down the hall towards my personal en-suite.

By the way the light reflects in the passage I can tell that it's rather early in the morning, I would have only slept for a few hours at the most. It's been like that since I left the games, sleeping for short periods as though I still have to change watches with the rest of the career pack. My friends would either have left last night when they figured I wasn't coming back, most likely cracking jokes about how I "was going to get some tonight," or else they'd be passed out on couches, ready to be kicked out by my father when he goes out to train at the crack of dawn like he does every day before work.

I shuffle through my bedroom and into the bathroom where I turn up the shower until it steams up the entire room. I stand under the hot water until my head stops throbbing and my eyes feel like they've gone back to normal, then I get out and change into the first things I find: a blue plaid shirt (with two buttons undone of course) and some jeans.

It's only when I'm heading back to check on Grey that I come across my father for the first time since standing on his doorstep yesterday afternoon. We're walking in opposite directions and I figure that he's going to get ready for his usual training session so I step out of his way, but instead he clamps his hand on my arm and roughly pulls me towards him. I'm tall and muscular, but my father had always been bigger, even bigger than Chase, so my father easily pushes me against the closest wall with his hand pressed on my throat. I've done this many times before so I know this time to stay quiet and still as he begins whatever rant he's decided on for today.

"First you disgrace our family with a _joint-victor._" He hisses, his ice blue eyes digging into mine. I'm ashamed that I got my looks from him, and I'll never be able to change that. "And then I find you in bed with that District 4 rat? At first I thought that it would be for the sponsors, and once you came home you would be a strong boy, just like Chase. But no, the son that lives is the one that comes home with dreams of _marriage_ and _a family_."

I growl in reply, unable to form words that express how angry I am and also well aware that anything I do will just make my punishment worse. Apparently the sound angers him enough because he winds his fist back and punches me in the jaw, sending my head smacking into the wall behind me. I bounce back instantly, my lip curled dangerously, but again I say nothing.

"Ah, he remembers something from his training. Not going to show weakness now, Cato? A little too late don't you think? I expect to see you in training today, fighting as hard as your brother always did. Not that you were ever as good, but I have to hang onto something, don't I. Now get out of my sight, I don't want to see you until you're sweating so hard that all the little thoughts about your petty girlfriend come dripping out of your body." With that my father pushes me away from him and stalks away, leaving me seething with anger and breathing heavily.

I grab the first porcelain object I can find, a decorative vase that's possibly worth more than this house, and I chuck it into the wall, revelling in the sound it makes as it shatters. Although it helps for a second, I instantly want to keep destroying things until my hands are torn and bleeding. At least that's what I would have done if I had been the person I was before. Instead, I slide down the wall into the remains of the vase and dig my fingers into my legs, trying to calm myself down. I couldn't let Grey see me like this; she'd never want me if she knew that I was so close to insanity in my own home that just a few words from my father could tip me over the edge like this.

But my need for her, the need to one day be a part of her, to be connected to her, is for once greater than my need to hurt. So far we hadn't gone further than that night before the games, lying on her bed in the Capitol. It seems like so long ago. I could feel a deep ache in me every time she kissed me, and I wanted more than anything to feel her bare skin underneath my hands. These thoughts keep me sane as my heart rate slowly begins to drop and I calm myself out of a temper.

For the first few minutes it is utter torture and I feel like I'm going to break out of my skin. I've never tried to calm myself down without violence before. But then I feel like I've broken the surface of water and I have a surge of relief that I didn't do something I wouldn't be able to take back during my rage. I sit there for a few minutes until I feel like I can get up again, and I slip back into Grey's room where I curl below her with a blanket wrapped around me. My temper must have exhausted my energy, because I'm asleep in minutes.

I wake up again when I feel the figure beside me sit up, and I nuzzle my cheek deeper into the blankets but hiss and sit up when the bruise I had temporarily forgotten about makes itself known. Grey's eyes are instantly drawn to me and I make an effort to smile and offer a good morning, before gently prodding my bruise and swearing because it's become so obvious and pronounced. Grey's acting like she's never seen a bruise before and her mouth is open in shock. I try not to shy away when she gently touches my jaw, placing her hand protectively over the swollen skin, but it hurts both physically and emotionally and I can't help but move my head away.

"Oh Cato," She murmurs, her hand dropping away in defeat, "Your face… How did this happen?" I'm tempted to lie, to tell her that I bumped into something in the middle of the night, but I figure that she'll find out soon enough when she sees the broken vase outside.

"I ran into my father on the way here. Called me a disgrace, told me I would never amount to anything near what my brother was. Normal father-son stuff." Grey grimaces and I know that my comment was pretty insensitive but I don't offer an apology. She's returned her hand to my jaw and is tilting my head towards the light from the window, inspecting my wound. I wouldn't admit it, but being nursed doesn't feel half bad.

"What's with your father's constant comparisons between you and Chase?" She presses on the inflamed skin gently and I wince, both at the pain and the question she's posed to me.

"He always liked him better than me, thought he deserved to win. I am merely an afterthought who has officially overstayed his welcome." I growl. There's no reply for a couple of seconds, and I wonder if she's going to say anything at all, but like the stubborn girl she is, she presses on into the deep recesses of my emotional being.

"But you're not Chase, you're Cato. Doesn't he realise that you have the right to be yourself?"

"I'm apparently not good enough to be myself. He thinks that if he drills it into me enough, maybe I'll wake up one day and be just like him."

There's silence again as Grey ponders this and eventually it seems as if she's exhausted the possibility of continuing this conversation, because she leans forward, gently kisses the angry skin on my jaw and changes the subject.

"You didn't gel your hair this morning. I think it looks nice like this." She runs her hand through my hair, which is soft and slightly fluffy from the lack of hair product in it. I stop myself from sighing and sinking down against the bed and instead sit up straighter, composing myself.

"You're changing the subject. But no, I don't like it like this."

"I'm guessing Chase was _au natural_?" I cringe at the return of my brother into the conversation, but it doesn't sting as much as it did last night. Maybe, just maybe, it's okay to start talking about him after all this time.

"Yeah. You have no idea how much of my life is influenced by a brother that died five years ago."

"No, I can't imagine. But I'm going to help as much as I can, and support every decision that you make, okay?"

I can't think of anything to say to that but inside my heart is blooming; the heart that I assumed had frozen over, at the fact that someone cares enough to find out who the real Cato was. Not Chase-Cato, not my father's Cato. So when I kiss her, I try and push all those emotions from my soul to her, so she can know how much it means to me without having to actually form words. It's been so long since I could kiss Grey without any regard for how much danger we were in and whether a tribute would appear and stab me, so I instantly press my body against her so we fall onto the bed, passionately reminding each other that we are there for one another.

I feel one of her hands on the back of my neck as the other snakes its way up the back of my shirt and I outwardly groan in pure agonising bliss. I am embarrassingly horny. We kiss until all the thoughts in my head have melted away and my lips feel swollen. Then our mouths separate and I pull her body against mine, tucking her shoulder into my armpit and letting my feelings simmer down for the second time this morning. However this time, I'm ecstatic.

We don't leave each other's arms until someone, presumably one of the cleaners, knocks on the door hesitantly telling me that I'll be late to the training center if I don't get up now. My father must have told our help to make sure I got to training, even if he posed it as if I had a choice. Grey sits up at the comment; I hadn't told her about my intentions for the day.

"You're… going to train?" She speculates, rubbing her eyes. I nod an affirmative and she sighs, swinging her legs out of bed so she's sitting on the edge.

"I'll come too then." She replies, not commenting on the fact that I shouldn't need to train at all. Maybe she remembers last night's conversation with Lux and Seb, where I promised them that I'd show them who's boss now that I'm back in my home district.

The training center is only a few blocks from our house and because I know the way there almost by muscle memory, as soon as we have gotten changed and had breakfast at the deserted table we are walking briskly down the road. The building where training is held is already bustling with people, even though it is barely mid-morning. The foyer inside is split into two sections; one area for teenagers training for the games and one for the adults post reaping. I'm proud to sign in as "Victor and guest" on the adult side for the first time, but I doubt I would have been able to return to the room where I spent all those years training alongside Clove anyway.

Grey's hand tentatively finds mine as we enter the large training center and we are bombarded with the sounds of adults fighting with every weapon imaginable and I squeeze her hand tightly. She hasn't had any contact with weapons since the games and the memories of the tributes she saw killed are obviously resurfacing. I am about to tell her that it's okay if she wants to leave and that she doesn't have to train, when I see a flash of light brown hair and suddenly Seb has bowled me over and his hand is on my face, grinding the back of my head into the sparring mats. I know I could easily overpower my close friend, but I can hear Grey giggling softly so I allow my head to be pressed against the ground for a bit longer before I push him off me.

"Good morning to you." I say jauntily with a slight smirk on my face before I tackle Seb to the ground and we're rolling around like we always used to as children. Children that didn't know the true meaning of the games, children who thought that being a victor was the greatest accomplishment that you could have. How naïve we were. Seb had been one of the ten boys that the mayor had chosen for the volunteer shortlist, but he had been taken off when we were down to the final 4. He held no malice against me for taking his place in the games and I had a deep respect for him that he could move on with his life so easily. It seemed wrong somehow that I, the victor, ended up more messed up than the young man who failed to make the cut.

I hear a shriek from above me and I look up to see Grey laughing at the two of us tussling like children. After a while Seb and I split and we sit up, panting and looking around. A few adults are giving us looks with rolled eyes, but most are obliviously lifting weights and practicing with weapons like nothing had happened. I realise that Grey has disappeared and after a few seconds I locate her at the spear section with Lux. The dark haired boy is competing against her, trying to get the best score on the target placed ten metres away, but I know he is joking around letting her win, because I can hear her laughter all the way over here. It almost seems like Marvel is still here with us and I'm glad that she's enjoying herself, especially in a place that could be so solemn if we let it.

I don't see my father at all while we are training which I am very relieved about. I figure that he left for work a long time ago, bored of waiting for me to turn up. Often before the games I would wake up early and train alongside him, but it was always uncomfortable for the both of us as I obviously didn't match up to how he remembered Chase and so I slowly distanced myself until we were training at completely separate sessions. I would be glad when we left my district and travelled to meet Grey's parents; at least I wouldn't have to deal with a father that wanted me to have died instead of my brother.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Hello readers! At least, I hope there are people still reading this! I noticed that I only got 2 reviews for my last chapter, did you all not like Cato's father? Oh well, hopefully this chapter is better and lots of you choose to review! I really do love seeing what you all think of this story and how it is going. Also a thank you to those who went and read/reviewed my one-shot 'Irreversible Monster.' If you haven't.. go and take a peek? Ok, onto the chapter!**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Seven

Grey's POV

The remaining days of our stay in Cato's district pass extremely quickly and most of it is spent by Cato and his friends showing me around where they grew up. I quickly form close bonds with both Lux and Seb, especially Lux who reminds me so much of Marvel that I instantly gravitate towards him. Most nights sleeping in Cato's guest bedroom I would dream about the careers of the 74 Hunger Games. Often they would start happily and for a moment my subconscious mine would almost forget that my friends were going to die. You can't change the past, not even in your dreams. Cato had permanently moved to my room to sleep and often we would both wake up from nightmares at the same time, clutching each other close in the dark. Cato never mentioned it the next morning, trying to pretend that he didn't get scared, but the way I was able to comfort him in the darkness told me more than he ever could.

Cato's father stayed cold to me for the whole time, barely registering my existence and only doing so if it directly benefitted him. Cato told me to ignore him and I was partly glad that I didn't get along with his father, it didn't seem right that I should get along with someone he hated so much. However after the initial awkwardness I did manage to bond with his mother, who eventually told me many family stories about Cato and Chase and even divulged some information about their secretive father. I found out about how he had trained to be a tribute but had never been good enough to volunteer, driving him crazy and obsessed with revenge on those who had made the choice. Chase had been his second chance at victory, but when he died, his father had moved onto Cato, persuading the grieving boy that victory was what he wanted.

"_He used to take him away on trips, even when Chase was alive." _Julia had told me one morning when the men of the house were still asleep._ "Cato was such a bright, bubbly boy as a child, but his father would disappear with him for weeks at a time, supposedly preparing him for the imminent games. They would come back with their skin stained in dirt and grime, but Cato would always be glad to see me. Chase's death hit him hard, and when his father took him away again, he came back changed and suddenly he craved to be a victor. I had lost my son. But when I saw you in the games with him, I thought that maybe what he needed was love. I was right."_

The morning of Cato and my departure arrives and as we are packing our clothing up in suitcases side by side he brings up my district.

"What's it like?" He asks, folding up one of his training shirts and stuffing it in the rapidly disappearing free space in his bag. I decide not to let him know that I don't actually plan on training while I'm at home. I hadn't thought about home much while I was away but now that I was so close I remembered all the things that I had secretly been missing. The ocean was one. I hadn't been swimming since that time in the arena, but even that hadn't had the same effect as the rolling tides that toppled against you in the ocean. I couldn't wait to take Cato there.

I was also missing my mother, Titus, and the small amount of friends that I had. I had disowned my father the minute he refused to see me while I was in the Capitol and even if by some miracle he managed to come home to congratulate me I wouldn't want to see him, but seeing my mother, my obsessive slightly insane mother, still held a thrill. My thought trail stops when I feel a hand on my shoulder and I see Cato paused in his packing, watching me standing there. I realise that I've been holding the same shirt in my hands for the last few minutes, and I give him a crooked grin and quickly finish up packing.

"Sorry, just thinking about it. I'm excited for you to come back home with me." Cato murmurs something affirmative and presses his forehead against mine, wrapping his arms around my lower waist.

"Can't wait." He whispers.

Cato's father isn't around when we leave the house, but his mother gives us both big hugs and wishes me well for our time in my district and the victory tour after that. It's most likely that I won't be back here for a long time and Cato will return home alone.

The drive back to the station is comfortable as I lean against Cato, his arm wrapped around my shoulders and I almost forget that when we board the train Brutus will be in Cato's face, a fact that I instantly remember when I see him standing on the platform. He has his arms folded and he looks grumpy, especially when we get out of the car together and he sees how relaxed Cato is. For a second I thought that maybe he could start living his life normally after winning the games, but it seems like there is forever someone attempting to control him.

As soon as we get within arm's reach of Cato's mentor, Brutus reaches out with the reflexes of a snake and grabs onto Cato, tugging him into the train carriage. I see Cato's nostrils flare as he rears back in response like a wild horse, but he manages to control himself and allows Brutus to drag him inside. I watch this curiously, wondering if there was always such a domination game occurring between the mentor and the tribute, before sneaking a last glimpse at District 2 and following the two into the train.

The room we entered, the dining area, is completely deserted but the door in the right corner of the room finishes sliding shut as I look around so I figure that Brutus has managed to cajole Cato into sitting through another manipulative pep talk in the other room. Feeling like he wouldn't appreciate me trying to protect him, I instead head towards the adjacent carriage on the opposite side with the intention of finding Finnick. Like I thought, he's sitting on one of the plush expensive couches watching a blank screen when I walk in, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. The sound of the door closing behind me must interrupt his thoughts, because he turns his head to look at me and gestures to the spare seat next to him.

"How was District 2?" He asks me once I've sat down.

"Okay." I answer curtly, not having enough energy to recount the past several days' happenings. "I met Cato's friends and parents. His mother was kind to me. His father? Not so much."

"I thought that would happen," Finnick muses, "It seemed only natural that someone would have had to teach Cato his ways." I turn my head to look my mentor square in the eyes, ready to snap a snide comment, but I hesitate when I realise that his comment isn't so unreasonable. Finnick sees my pause and shrugs. I decide to change the subject.

"What are you going to do when you get back home?" Finnick opens his mouth instantly, ready to reply, but he closes it again and when he does speak it seems subdued as if he is hiding something from me.

"Just plan your victory tour. Someone has to do it, sweetheart." He smirks and makes no move to ask me a similar question, but I answer anyway.

"I'd like to see Titus and my other friends, but I'm afraid that too much has happened for me to slip back into my old life. Sometimes I feel like the only people who understand me are you and Cato. How terrible is that?" Finnick lets out a bark of laughter.

"That's pretty messed up."

We sit side by side in silence for a few minutes, but it is broken when the door I entered from slides open and Cato strides in. He raises his eyebrow at the lack of conversation but when no one makes a move to enlighten him he promptly lies down on the adjacent couch and covers his eyes with his arm, his feet hanging off the end of the furniture.

"Rough night?" Finnick teases and Cato lets out an emotionless grunt in reply. The silence that follows expanses for another few minutes, time I spend staring at Cato.

His blonde hair is catching the sunlight and he looks like an angel disguised in the casual jeans and buttoned up shirt that I've come to expect from him. The tips of his hair are pushed back as if he had run his hand through it recently, and I catch a glimpse of the slightly tanned creamy skin on his forehead. Soon he shifts positions so he is lying on his side, one arm hanging limply off the edge of the couch. I'm surprised when I hear his breathing change and I know that he's fallen asleep, and I look to Finnick as if to make sure what I am witnessing is real.

"I suspect he didn't appreciate Brutus's talk and walked out. He knows that Brutus can't punish him for insolence if he's with us."

"Why is Brutus being so harsh on him? Surely it can't just be due to the fact he came home a co-victor." I question, pretending that I didn't hear Finnick imply that Brutus 'punishes' Cato if he's not a perfect victor.

"Of course not, even a competition obsessed man like himself would make a big deal about such a petty topic..." My mentor pauses in his sentence and I will him to elaborate with my eyes, but his gaze flicks to Cato's form as if he's worried he is being listened to. I follow his stare and look towards the District 2 victor who has his mouth partly open and looks like he is about to commence snoring or dribbling or thrashing about in a bad dream. Finnick seems to recognize this because he turns his attention back to me.

"Remember when I told you that a rebellion has already started?" His voice is down to a whisper now, and I slide forward slightly and nod.

"I wasn't exaggerating. This year two victors came out of the games, from different districts even! The point is, the Capitol did nothing to stop it and are now having to deal with districts that are starting to believe they can do the same."

"What do you mean? That they can get out of the games alive?"

"No, it is much worse," My mentor replies, "They believe that they can fight back and topple the Capitol, like they did in the dark days! And guess who's to blame for that?"

I lean back, almost subconsciously recoiling from the news. Suddenly Brutus's hatred towards me and his strict treatment of Cato make sense. He knows what sort of danger we are in and he's trying to persuade us to be as less rebellious as possible, forcing Cato back into his career shell to make Panem see that nothing has really changed.

"What districts are rebelling?" I ask hurriedly, but Finnick shakes his head.

"I don't know. All I have heard is what Brutus managed to get from the officials he knew back in District 2; it's being kept very secret. Any information we have is extremely dangerous, we're treading on ice right now because in all honesty we are the first targets."

"No." A voice says behind me, and both my mentor and I turn to see Cato sitting up on the couch, his hands clenched into fists. I feel Finnick tense beside me, knowing that he has released dangerous information to yet another person. "We aren't the first targets. Can you imagine the uproar that would occur if we 'happened to disappear?' They are going to go after our families, our friends, everyone we care about, unless we can somehow stop this."

"Don't say that Cato, please." I stand up, looking between my mentor and the other victor. I suddenly feel stressed out, as if the entire world is resting on my shoulders and I have no idea what I'm meant to do. I want to curl up in bed and sob. I want to go back to before the games, before everything turned bad. "Surely there's a way out, there has to be. Please…"

Now Cato stands up and he steps towards me, extending one arm to pull me into his chest. I don't bother resisting and I instead clutch onto him.

"If there is a way, we will find it. And I promise I will not let _anything_ happen to you." I see Finnick nodding, his expression steeled, and out of the corner of my eye I can see Brutus standing with his arms folded in the doorway, doing the same. But it's the arms around me that ground me the most, and I realise that I could never go back to before the games, because in doing that I would lose the only person I truly care about.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait everyone! Oh and I want to say sorry for hounding everyone for reviews last chapter! Where I live, we start the school year in February, so I was completely oblivious to everyone else in the world starting their year now.. silly me! I totally understand how busy it can be getting used to new schedules and classes. **

**Anyway, I'm going to stop talking now. Please review if you have time, but don't feel like I'm not going to continue if you don't. Without further ado, here's chapter eight!  
**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Eight

Grey's POV

Thoughts of a possible rebellion disturb my thoughts as I take a shower in my room on the train, making it an unpleasant experience. Every time the train rocks, which is quite uncommon because the ride is so smooth, I press myself against the walls in the fear suddenly peacekeepers are going to barge in and arrest me in the middle of my shower. I eventually finish washing myself and when I get out of the cubicle I inspect my body in the mirror. The little cuts and scratches that were too insignificant to have been removed by the medical team back in the Capitol are beginning to fade and I no longer look like a mottled blanket with all the scars and swelling.

I'm interrupted by the sound of knocking and I can hear Cato calling me, asking to talk. I keep the door locked and ignore him, because I know that what he wants to talk about is just going to stress me out and I can't afford that right before I arrive in my home district. I think he knows that I'm ignoring him but rather than pointlessly losing his temper, he eventually gets sick of waiting and I hear the sound of footsteps as he makes a move to walk away. I begin to walk over to my cupboard, rummaging for something to wear to bed, when I hear a gruff voice call out to Cato on the other side of the door. It's not until they both move closer that I realise the mystery person is Brutus.

"What are you doing, boy? We aren't in the games now; you don't need to keep up this love story anymore. Do you know how much danger the two of you are putting us in?" I feel uncomfortable listening to this but since leaving the room by walking straight past them is completely out of the question, I instead resign myself to lying in bed.

"You don't know anything, old man." I hear Cato reply. _Boy? Old man? _I have to smirk at the endearing nicknames that Cato and his mentor share. There's a pause and an, "Oof" and I piece together that the tribute has tried to push away the mentor, earning a rough shove back.

"You think I want to be here keeping you alive? You think that I don't have anyone waiting for me back in 2, people that don't want to wait anymore? It's time to get over yourself and realise that the world doesn't just revolve around you." Cato doesn't reply and I hear heavy footsteps as Brutus disappears down the hall. I stand shell shocked on the other side of the door, having gotten up midway through the argument, and I would have sworn that even though there was no way I could have seen him, Cato looks towards my door for a few seconds before disappearing into his own room.

My sleep is relatively peaceful that night, as my brain was too busy sorting the information it had collected over the past few days to bother with nightmares. We get the announcement of our arrival in District Four straight after breakfast, and almost instantly I grab my bag and run to the door, my small procession of Capitol helpers rushing along behind me. As I jump on the balls of my feet, Cato pushes gently in front of me and peers out the window curiously as the train begins to slow down. Finnick is silently watching the whole ordeal from the couch, but although he looks calm I don't miss the way his hands are wringing nervously. Brutus has yet to make an appearance this morning, which surprises no one even though Finnick knows nothing about the argument that occurred between the mentor and his tribute the night before. Since Finnick didn't accompany us into District Two, I presume that Brutus won't be coming into my district either.

I turn towards Cato just as he rubs the back of his neck in anxiety and I slip my hand into his, causing him to start in surprise.

"You okay?" I murmur to him, and he vigorously nods in response.

"Of course, I'm fine. I've just never been to District 4 before so I don't know what to expect." His voice is gruff and I rub his hand with my thumb in lieu of saying anything. Any comment he has to try and persuade me that he's okay is interrupted by the sound of the train's engines shutting down so we stand in silence with our hands clasped as a tin voice with a Capitol accent announces our arrival in my hometown.

For a few seconds the carriage moves past an empty train platform, but then suddenly we pass a group of people I recognise, led by a certain dark haired boy.

"Titus!" As soon as I'm able to disembark from the train I shout for my friend, tearing along the concrete and leaping at full force into Titus' arms. Once we've recovered somewhat from our reunion he sets me on the ground and brushes a piece of blonde hair out of my eyes.

"I knew you would get out, I knew it." He whispers as he grins widely at me.

Titus had been there for me since I was a little kid, always making sure no one was too tough on his "little friend." Somehow I knew that I'd never be his _little_ Grey anymore, I had seen too much of the world already while he had been forced to watch through a screen. I don't realise that there are tears streaming down my cheeks until Titus is telling me not to cry. I manage to smile and unattractively rub a fist across my eyes to clear away the tears, a movement that would possibly make Domitia faint. It's a good thing that she is currently greeting some of the more prestigious people of the district on the other side of the platform.

After a couple more seconds standing and simply smiling at each other, I hear Cato clear his throat from behind me and I quickly introduce him to everyone. Cato curtly offers his hand to Titus and greets the people standing beyond him but stays very solemn and quiet, a trait that doesn't fit with his normal personality. I decide that he must be a little tired and nervous and it's making him cranky so I make an effort to include him during the rest of the reunion. Terra has her hair up in pigtails, a style that must be the new Capitol trend, and she blinks so slowly at Cato that she just looks dim. Cato looks to the side uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact with the bouncy girl in front of him, but seems more in his element when one of the boys I knew from training taps him on the shoulder and asks for some advice about weapons. It relaxes him enough to temporarily forget about me while I go in a whirlwind motion trying to greet everybody else who has come to see our arrival.

At one point I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn to see Cato looking at me with wide, almost innocent eyes as he points towards the other end of the station. Finnick is embracing a young woman with ruffled brown hair and as we watch he tucks a piece of it behind her ear and grins. He whispers something to the woman that makes her giggle, the sound carrying over to us.

"That looks like Annie Cresta, a past victor," Cato whispers to me, "Who knew the 'Capitol playboy' has a love here?"

"Don't call him that." I growl, annoyed that he would refer to my mentor in such a way. Cato steps back, a look of shock crossing his face for a second before he puts his career wall back up and turns his back to me, resuming a conversation with someone else as I turn back to Titus.

After ten minutes or so we manage to escape the clutches of the crowd, but only after promising Terra that we will _of course_ spend time with her and unhooking her arm from mine, and Titus whispering in my ear to meet him on the beach that night. Cato's nose crinkles slightly when he overhears our plan but he says nothing and I start to think that maybe he's feeling a bit more than fatigue and nerves. It's cemented when Titus gives me a bear hug as we walk away towards my house and Cato almost instantly wraps an arm around me and gives me a passionate kiss on the mouth, which causes a squeal from Terra's direction.

I take Cato's hand and begin to lead him towards my house by the beach. It's not far from the train station at all, a fact I only realise now that I use the train. I had thought that I would feel uncomfortable showing Cato where I grew up after seeing District 2 because his upbringing had been so posh where mine had been so… middle class, but he hasn't mentioned anything about the difference in social status since he arrived. Even our appearances are drastically different here, after persuading Cato to throw on a pair of shorts instead of his usual jeans or slacks he looks quite dashing in his casual outfit. _Very district 4_. I'm wearing a light sun frock that picks up the gold in both our hair colours and we fit into the township perfectly.

We walk as a content couple for a while, but I can feel Cato is holding something back from me and eventually my curiosity wins out and I have to say something.

"Are you jealous?" I blurt out suddenly, instantly regretting my choice of words when I see Cato tense.

"No." He growls sharply, the tone in his voice telling me to let it go. But I can't stop now and I almost want to apologise as I continue to hound him.

"I saw how you looked at Titus and I while we were talking. It _is_ Titus, isn't it? I'm sorry if I hurt you Cato but-"

"No. Don't. You threw yourself at him while I was right there, which was fine, but did you stop to think about whether I was comfortable? No. I stood there on my own, in the middle of a district I'd never been to before, waiting for my supposed _girlfriend_ to stop talking to some guy and maybe introduce me to someone. I stood there for a good few minutes just waiting. Seriously Grey?"

Although I know that my actions are going to escalate the situation, I step towards Cato angrily. Why doesn't he understand?

"What, so now I'm not allowed to have friends? I need your permission for everything? And I did introduce you, get a grip Cato!" He hisses and his eyes flash furiously. For a moment I'm afraid that he's going to slam me into a wall, there are plenty of buildings around, but instead he strides over to a nearby power pylon and rams his foot roughly into it. He doesn't even wince and I'm instantly at his side, rubbing his shoulder, my side of the argument completely forgotten.

But Cato hasn't forgotten and he shrugs violently away from me, walking quickly along the road. He nearly crashes into the girl standing in front of my door and I have to call out to make him pay attention. He stops at the front step and tilts his head sideways at the intruder, growling "Yes?"

"Oh, uh, I thought… I made you these!" I recognise the girl as Eunia, who had been there beside me in the crowd on reaping day. When I catch up to the two of them she is holding out a decorated basket out to Cato, and I can see the tips of golden cookies poking from the top.

"What, for me?" Cato asks in genuine surprise, tilting his head forward slightly to look into the basket. His anger completely fades away as he gets handed a sweet from Eunia, and he munches on it contentedly like a child as I approach the girl myself.

"Of course, when I found out about you and Grey coming home, I wanted to do something nice! I heard that they make these in District 2…" Her small voice fades away but she smiles when Cato compliments her baking, telling her that back in training he never got sweets because of his dieting restrictions.

I thank Eunia and she hands me the basket before skipping off to her own home down the road, wishing the two of us well without waiting for any more small talk. Cato's face follows the basket of cookies, a typical boy controlled by his stomach, and he grasps my hand while spooning another cookie into his mouth. I open the door and lead him inside the house. It's dark and I scramble with my hands to find the light switch for a few seconds.

"She was nice," Cato says cheerfully, "Is she a friend of yours?" I'm about to answer when someone else does it for me.

"I agree; she looks like a lovely girl. Very well behaved, and not a hint of rebelliousness in her at all. Pass me a cookie will you, Cato?" When the light illuminates the figure sitting on my couch, I begin to scream, dropping the basket on the floor. Cato grabs my arm and pulls me back behind him, protecting me from the man that started this whole mess. President Snow.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Hi dear readers! Thank you for all the lovely reviews, I'm really glad that people are still enjoying this story. The pace is definitely beginning to pick up now, but we still have a way to go, so don't worry about me finishing any time soon! I probably won't be able to update until next weekend, because this week is my school's show week and I'm a technician so it means long school days followed by long nights, so please bare with me :) **

**Tell me what you think about this chapter, there's quite a few new ideas introduced, and of course the long awaited President Snow! Enjoy!  
**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Nine

Grey's POV

The only reason I stop screaming is because my voice cracks and we're plunged into silence. I continue to stand there dumbly in front of the president of Panem, completely ignoring the 'sit down' gesture that he is giving us. Cato is the first to move out, and I can see the stiffness in his back as he seats himself on the edge of the couch opposite President Snow, his nails digging into the fabric under his palms. _You've done nothing wrong_, the voice in my head tells me, and it's enough to persuade my legs to take the rest of my body to the empty spot next to Cato as the white-haired man in front of us begins to speak.

"It seems you left the Capitol before I could congratulate you." His voice is civil but the look in his eyes tells me that he despises us. Without even trying, we have managed to personally offend quite easily the most important person in the country.

"I'm sorry we offended you," Cato speaks, his teeth gritted in order to hold his temper, "But it was really no fault of our own. It was the peacekeepers that pi-"

"No!" President Snow's hand comes slamming down on the tiny coffee table between us and we both jump. It's almost as if we are his puppets, reacting how he wants us to react.

"If I had control over those Peacekeepers, the two of you would be locked away in the Capitol, never to see the light of day again."

The room falls silent once again and I look down at the floor when Snow makes eye contact with me, the side of his mouth turning up in the beginning of a sadistic grin. For once even Cato is subdued, although from the corner of my eye I can see him wringing his hands together while he holds eye contact with the man sitting on my furniture.

"However," He drags out, continuing when we make no move to answer him, "The Capitol loves you too much for that to go by unnoticed, so it seems we will be forced to see each other for a while yet."

"I will leave you with this. By pulling that act in the games, _ruining_ our perfect finale, you've begun something. And as much as you run away in your happy little relationship, hopping from district to district with no care in the world, you're in my web. Like everyone else you have ever cared for. Enjoy your time on the victory tour, I'll be sure to see you soon. I just know you're going to _love_ this year's quarter quell." And without waiting for us to dismiss him, he disappears out the still ajar door, leaving Cato and I feeling filthy from his presence.

Cato's arm snakes around my shoulders and he pulls me close in an embrace for a second, trying to put the confrontation out of his mind as we hear the sound of a car screeching away from my doorstep. He rises from the couch and goes to retrieve the basket of cookies that I had dropped and left discarded on the floor when we entered. He offers one of the less broken ones to me and I take it but don't make a move to eat. He frowns for a moment before looking around the room and smiling.

"This is nice." He says to me, trying to keep a smile on his face but sounding quite damp instead.

"Yeah, it's okay." I reply, attempting and failing to bring my mouth into a smile. I'm almost certain President Snow planned his visit perfectly so it would ruin my time back home, and it seems like his plan has worked. Cato is standing uncomfortably on the tiled floor of the kitchen, and beside him the front door to my house is gently swinging open and shut. Needing to do something helpful, I walk over to it and shut it closed, and I pick up the overnight pack Cato had been holding when we entered to drag it further inside.

The house looks exactly how I left it, comfortable and lived in but with an air of cleanliness that came from my mother having too much time on her hands. It's nearly the opposite of Cato's mansion; where he had expensive tapestries and paintings, here the walls are mostly empty except for a few pieces of Capitol art that my father sent during his first year away. Eventually though, shipping items got "too expensive and complicated" and both deliveries and letters died out. The only contact we had with him nowadays was a monthly deposit into our money account.

"Grey." I look up to see Cato lumbering over with a scrap of paper in his hand. For the first time since leaving the Capitol, I notice that the bandage he had on his hand to cover the wound Spens gave him had been removed, leaving behind immaculate skin. I can't help but be a little uncomfortable by it; by having no scars it's like the games never existed. Cato sees my train of thought and looks down at it himself almost longingly.

"Weird isn't it. It's like, if we forget about him, he never even existed."

"But he did." I state coldly, trying to push the image of my old district partner's hand lying on the ground after it had been grotesquely removed from my mind. At some point Cato reaches me and I'm shaken from my thoughts when he pushes the piece of paper into my hand.

"Looks like a note from your mother." He says, offering a small smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. He probably thinks it's sad that she couldn't be here to welcome us. Little does he know, even if she is at home, her mind isn't.

"_Dear Grey,"_ I read aloud, _"Things have gotten pretty bad, haven't they? You know what to do honey. See you soon." _ By the time I finish reading, Cato is giving me a confused expression. He obviously has no idea what the note is saying and I wish I didn't, because it really isn't helping my case.

"…You know what to do?" Cato asks, partly to himself.

"Unfortunately, yes." I respond. "It was a running joke in my family before my father… left. Whenever something bad happened, even if it was stupid and insignificant, my father would always pick me up and say, 'Oh well, we're going to District 13!'" Cato's eyes get wide very fast.

"District 13? But the Capitol said it was destroyed a long time ago! They show us footage every year!" I nod, going along with his rant.

"I never said it made sense, it was just a joke. My mother must have started to really believe that it still exists while I was in the games. Here's us trying to not be rebellious, and my mother has gone traipsing to find District 13? We're dead for sure!" I burst into tears, startling Cato who wraps one of his big arms around my shoulders.

"Nah we're not, it's all okay. It's fine." He murmurs to me when I start sobbing about how I should have never come back, which ends up sounding like a random mix of syllables.

After a while of stroking my hair and whispering comforting words into my ear, eventually I calm down enough to realise that it's getting late and I promised to meet Titus at the beach. Cato senses the change in my posture and he lets go of me.

"I promised Titus that I would go and meet him." I say tentatively, not wanting to get Cato angry again. But instead he only asks for directions to the bedroom and tells me that he'll fix a meal up and leave it on the counter for me.

Titus is waiting for me when I arrive, sitting on the sand with the reflection of the moon and the ocean shining back onto his face in a lazily dancing pattern. His face breaks into a smile when I seat myself next to him, leaning back on the sand.

"You have no idea how much I missed this place," I whisper to him, "I couldn't imagine dying in the arena and not getting to see it one more time." The dark haired young man turns his head towards me and smiles.

"Well now that you're back, you can see it every day. You could have your victor house right here on the beach!" He says, the excitement building in his voice. But I have the opposite effect, a feeling as if there is a rock sitting in my stomach weighing me down, and I realise something that I didn't know until right now.

"But I can't come back, Titus." His mouth drops open in shock and anger that's not directed at me.

"The Capitol is forcing you to live there?"

"No, that's not it."

"It's Cato; tell me it's not Cato! When I get my hands on him…"

"Titus, it isn't Cato. It's me. President Snow came to my house and told us that he wanted us dead. He's going to make our lives living hell; I don't want to drag anybody unnecessarily into this."

"You know I'd do anything for you, I'd fight for you and even _Cato_ if I had to." Titus is on his feet now, looking like he's trying to control something out of his power.

"I know Titus, you're my best friend. But I can't put anyone here in danger, because they don't deserve it. When that cannon went off in the bloodbath, it was the end of my old life. I'm going to go wherever Cato goes. It could be the Capitol, it could be District 2. What I'm trying to say, is that when all this is over, I don't think I'm coming back here."

Titus gapes for a couple of seconds, and his fists clench.

"I guess I can't persuade you against it, you always were stubborn. But if you are ever in danger, I'll be there okay?" I smile.

"Deal."

We sit for an hour or so, catching up like old friends. I tell him a bit about what it felt like fighting in the arena, but it hurts to think about so mostly I talk about the pieces of the Capitol that he wouldn't know about. What Caesar Flickerman is _really_ like when the cameras are off, and whether or not Titus would have liked Marvel (yes). When we start to get cold from the wind blowing off the ocean and stand up to say goodbye, Titus says something unexpected.

"You know, when I first saw you with Cato in the arena, I had no idea how you could love that monster. He'd break someone's neck and you would turn around and hug him for it, I didn't understand. But now I realise that deep inside that shell he's tried so hard to put up, there's just a broken boy, isn't there?"

The house is dark when I arrive back from the beach, and I unlock the door and try to make as little noise as possible. True to his word, Cato's left something on the bench for me, but it's obvious he isn't used to cooking because I feel the need to inspect it before putting it anywhere near my mouth. After eying the massive amount of dirty dishes that Cato has somehow managed to leave unwashed by the sink and eating the unexpectedly tasty meal that he has left for me, I walk quietly to the bedroom, wondering whether he is asleep or not.

When I open the door to my bedroom, Cato is sitting in my bed, a book in his hand and a very concentrated expression on his face. He doesn't notice my presence and it gives me time to remember; Cato told me before the games that he couldn't read or write particularly well since a lot of his childhood was spent training.

It's only when I begin to strip down to what I'm going to wear to bed that Cato's eyes flick up to me. He does a double take, and I watch his face go from concentrated to his usual flirtatious smirk.

"I was just reading about your district." He says, not able to hide the hint of pride in his voice.

"Were you? Cool. Do you find it interesting?" I reply, trying to keep any sneaky condescending emotions out of my voice.

"It's good. District 2 is a lot more private about what they do and what the origins of the town are, it's refreshing to see a place with no conspiracies." I nod, urging him to continue as I go into the en-suite bathroom to get ready. There's a pause when I'm out of his sight, but then a small comment carries through to where I'm standing in front of the mirror.

"It's hard for me to read stuff like this though... Because well, you know."

I come back into the room a few minutes later, and see that Cato has returned to the book again. I'm not sure, but I think that maybe the creases in his forehead have lessened slightly, as if it's gotten slightly easier since I walked in.

"Yeah, I know." I confirm. "It gets easier, trust me." I join Cato in bed and press against him. He's shirtless and the bare skin is hot and pleasant. He stretches over and puts the book down on the floor, then tucks one arm under me, resting his hand on my waist.

"I never had much opportunity to read books back while I was training, but it's nice. Do you think I could borrow this book and take it with me on the victory tour?" I nod, sinking deeper into the covers as the lights switch off.

"Sure. You can even have it if you want, no point leaving it here getting dusty." Cato whispers a more heartfelt thank you into my ear than I think is necessary, but I realise that by allowing him this, I'm allowing him to read, something that his father and his district prevented him from doing.

I tuck my head into the crook of his neck, and we both sleep peacefully throughout the whole night. No nightmares.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait everyone! I was working backstage at my school show all week and this weekend and I've had no time at all to write. I hope you enjoy this chapter, please do review even if it's just a quick message. They do make me happy and they also make me update faster! **

Crowd of Two

Chapter Ten

Grey's POV

It feels like we have only been in my district for a couple of days, but soon our week is coming to an end. Similar to my visit to Cato's home, most of our time is spent with my friends. Titus, Terra, and Eunia accompany us nearly everywhere. It seems that in my absence, the girl who I had thought was quiet and subdued has actually come out of her shell and she makes it much easier to feel comfortable. Eunia continues to bake for us, especially after hearing about Cato's lack of cooking skills, and the boy is completely taken by her cookies.

A small part of me had been worried that Cato would have the same idea as many careers; that the lower districts are dirty and have no value whatsoever, but he is instantly immersed in everything the town has to offer, following me every time I go out so he can see more of the area. On the second day of our visit I make up a picnic and take Cato down to the beach for an afternoon.

His eyes are like saucers when he sees the picturesque landscape. The weather is perfect to be outdoors but the strip of sand that I take him to is deserted. It's a perk of District 4's smaller population. I instantly take off my shoes and ditch them with the picnic basket at the edge of the sand, running across the soft ground until my toes hit the water. Cato seems bewildered by the whole thing as if he is not totally sure whether the water is safe, they don't have beaches in District Two. He stands back for a while, looking uncomfortable as he stands in the sand with his shoes on, watching me kick my feet around in the waves.

Eventually I get sick of his hesitation and I kick up a spray of water at him, making him jump back and lose his balance, landing on his bottom in the sand. Instantly I'm pulling his shoes and socks off, and Cato's protesting that "No, I won't go into the water" and "No, I'm not _scared _of the waves" but I am already pulling him onto his feet and into the current. After the initial freeze as the water runs up to his shins, he can't resist the ocean and soon he's kicking up water and splashing just as enthusiastically as I am. Kicking water leads to splashing, and this eventually leads to Cato picking me up by the waist and swinging me around above the current. Whether it's by accident or not, he lets go and I get flung into the water fully clothed.

I have to make it even and by the time we get out of the water to eat something, we are both soaked with sea water and grinning wildly. We collapse on the sand having no care for how disgusting we are going to feel when we dry off with sand all over. Cato lies in the sun looking perfectly at ease, and I alternate between feeding him the sandwiches I made and kissing him. He seemed equally content with both.

Titus and Cato continue to have a tense relationship for the first couple of days and it's not until Titus suggests that Cato accompanies him fishing one morning that they really warm up to each other. I am instantly wary of it, it seemed awfully easy to just chuck someone off the side of the boat and put it down to an accident, but I smile and say that it's a good idea, thinking it would be good to just let them sort out their problems themselves.

I admit I expected at least one of them to come home with a fishing hook "accidentally" lodged in their head, but they return a little sunburnt with grinning faces and absolutely no fish at all and that's the end of their tense relationship.

Although Cato and I enjoy ourselves immensely, we are plagued by thoughts of President Snow's visit. During the day we aren't bothered, there are too many activities to do and people to see, but it seems that whenever we get home and close the door, we can feel his shadow over us and our nights are restless. We talk it through together and realise that what we both want is to get the tour over with so we can maybe fix everything and get back to living our lives. So when we visit Finnick in his home in Victor's Village, unused as he spends a lot of time in the Capitol, I am told, to pick him up on the way to the station, we aren't too upset.

He seems disappointed at the idea of leaving his home, which doesn't surprise me. I saw him a couple of times during our stay and he was always walking alongside the same brunette girl that we saw meeting him at the train station. Terra, the master of gossip, explained to me that the girl's name is Annie and she is a past victor who went crazy after winning her games. I'm immediately reminded of Marvel who had told me the story back before the games, and I am instantly curious to meet her. Unfortunately, Finnick is extraordinarily overprotective and we never talk more than a polite greeting in passing.

"Can't I just stay here?" He moans, obviously not enthusiastic about travelling to the other districts. Finnick is normally so flirtatious, but seeing him here I can almost imagine him as a loving husband. It seems cruel to force him to come with us and leave Annie, but by the time I think this he is already standing in front of us with a bag filled with clothes.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

Titus, Eunia, Terra and Annie see us off at the train station. Once we've seated ourselves by the window and the train begins to move away from the platform, the four start to jog alongside the train laughing and shouting farewells as we wave back with exaggerated sadness.

The train ride itself is uneventful, though the meals are tense with what is going by unsaid. Rebellion, District 13, all topics that Cato and I talk about when we are in bed together at night, but as we are afraid of talking to Finnick or Brutus about it, we end up bouncing the same ideas back and forth between us. _Could we just leave and run away to District 13? What would happen? _ Well, we would get arrested, Cato replies.

Cato and I are taking a mid-morning nap when the announcement comes across the loudspeaker that we are coming into District Twelve in ten minutes. Cato is sitting up against the pillows, softly stroking my head as I lie with my head in his lap, drawing circles onto his leg. After a couple of minutes, he presses his lips to mine and slips off the bed to go rummaging through his cupboard on the lookout for a suit. I watch him lift his t-shirt above his head and I prop myself up on my elbow as he stretches up his arms and shows his toned stomach. When he slips his arms into his jacket he sees me watching and smirks.

"Just gunna lie there and watch me, are you?" He teases, sitting down on the edge of the bed to lace up a pair of dress shoes.

"Would you mind?" I send back, giving him a flirtatious smile and reaching my hand over to gently tug on the waistband of his slacks, revealing a strip of his underwear. That makes him turn and give me his full attention.

"You… you want to do that?" Cato quietly asks with one eyebrow perked. I instantly remove my finger and sit backwards, staring at him with wide eyes.

"What? No! Not now!" I reply, a little too quickly. Cato rolls his eyes almost unnoticeably.

"Yeah of course you don't, I know. Whatever. You should probably go and meet your prep team now, they will want to get you ready for District Twelve." He gets up off the bed and begins to walk out of the room. I call out to him but he doesn't turn around. _Is he really that hurt by my refusal? I'm not leading him on in thinking that I want to do that now, am I? Maybe I was a bit…_

Cato's noticeably quiet as we disembark from the train, dressed in fine clothes that seem completely out of place in the poorest district in Panem, but when we see the sad crowd assembled at the station waiting for us his hand finds its way into mine. We give the crowd our rehearsed speeches as soon as we step onto the platform, talking about how the Hunger Games has given us the opportunity to visit new districts and to find love; terribly soppy speeches that both of us say with no feeling.

There is no applause when we finish and instead we are faced with a deathly silence as Cato, Finnick and Brutus follow me as I shake hands with someone I can only assume is the mayor and his family. A girl about my age shakes my hand silently and I notice that she's dressed completely in black. She must be mourning for the tributes that didn't come home. I feel a pain in my soul when I realise that I can't even remember who the tributes from District Twelve were.

"Ah, the double victors, I didn't think that was gunna happen in my lifetime!" A voice says from nearby and suddenly a figure slumps into view. I reel back in fright but hold up the man's shoulders until Finnick relieves me of him.

"Couldn't stay sober for even a few minutes, could you Haymitch? Look, you've scared the poor girl!" He says, gesturing to me. The bedraggled man who has been referred to as Haymitch holds a hand out to me and I tentatively shake it.

"Sorry sweetheart. It always gets difficult around the games, you know. I lost another two tributes this year." I purse my lips and I don't let go of the District Twelve victor's hand for a few seconds longer than necessary. There must be so many like him, who never get victors and have to deal with that on their conscience. This gives me a touch of sympathy for him but Cato is not as besotted and sneers and ignores the hand offered to him until Brutus grunts and gives him a dig with his elbow to be polite.

We follow Haymitch's wobbling figure into victor's village and it's sadly empty. The victor stumbles to the door of the first one and somehow manages to fit the key into the lock. Our little procession including the mentors, escorts and important district people follow him in, but Cato pulls me back and instead of walking into the room on the left that everyone else enters we slip in the door on the right.

"Grey," He murmurs as soon as we are out of range of the others, "We're in District Twelve, do you know what that means? District Thirteen would just be a hike away! We could run and no one would ever find us. If the rumours are true, then we would never have to deal with President Snow and the Capitol again!" I sigh, running a hand through my hair.

"They would come looking for us, and they would instantly track us down. We aren't scavengers. You're a fighter but I'm guessing you probably can't avoid detection from peacekeepers." Cato's eyebrows furrow in hurt that I would doubt his abilities, but he doesn't argue with me so I know that I'm right.

"You're talking about District Thirteen, aren't you? Don't even think about going there." A voice says from behind us and we both fling around defensively, ready to make up excuses, when I see that it's Haymitch looking surprisingly sober. I wonder how much of his drunkenness is for show. I see out of the corner of my mind Cato clam up and bring up his career sneer, but I feel like I can trust Haymitch. I still speak tentatively though.

"Oh of course not, why would we go there? There's nothing but rubble, I've seen it on the television. But if we did wish to visit, to see the destruction and the power of the Capitol _of course_, where would we go?" I ask slyly. I feel Cato's eyes on me and I see Haymitch's eyes light up for a second.

"If you walk through the town, sticking to the outskirts of the fence, you might eventually find a weak spot somewhere. The fence says high voltage but it's never switched on. If you hike briskly, you might get to District Thirteen in a little over a day. Now, I should go back to watch the rest of your group. I'm sure, if you were to disappear, no one would notice for at least half an hour. See you soon Grey and Cato." Haymitch nods at us and walks out of the room. I turn to Cato who is looking at me with wide eyes.

"Do you think we should go? This might be our only chance!" He says excitedly. I ponder for a few seconds and I hear through the other room the sounds of Haymitch rambling about his alcohol. I don't want to end up like that, alone and forced to lean on drinks to keep me going each day. Maybe getting away would keep me sane. So I nod, and together we slip out undetected from the house.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews everyone, I'm nearly at 50! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's quite a change of pace. Read and review!**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Eleven

Grey's POV

We follow Haymitch's vague instructions in silence, gently steering one another towards the edge of the town. We pass so many houses that are inches away from collapsing and people's hollow faces stare out of the windows at us; it just cements my idea that we need to escape before we become too far gone. A couple of times we have to duck behind houses or slip into the shadows in order to go undetected from peacekeepers, but there are hardly any military figures around here.

Eventually we get to the fence on the edge of the district and beyond it I can see miles of forest.

"I think it's this way Cato." He turns to look at me with a hard expression on his face, but I can see the apprehension in his eyes, mirroring what I'm feeling. What we are doing is breaking the law and we both know it. Once we pass this point there is no way we can pretend to be innocent. He kneels down beside the barrier and tries to pry up the bottom but it's attached to the ground and he can't make a gap big enough for us to crawl through. However I wander along the fence for a bit and find a hole already made that is just person-sized and I call Cato over. We stare at it silently for a second as the thought comes into our heads that maybe we aren't the first to escape.

Cato helps me under the fence first before following me under himself. As soon as his boot is pulled free of the chain we run until we can no longer see the destroyed houses, as if that seals our protection.

"It's weird, being on the other side isn't it?" I ask once we've stopped running and we are panting with our hands on our knees.

"Yeah, I guess. I just can't shake the feeling that we're still being watched." Cato turns his head to look behind him and protectively steps closer to me.

"Everyone is back with Haymitch. They probably think we've just gone to explore the district, if they know we've gone at all."

We continue to walk in silence for a minute or two until I feel the peculiar feeling of the hairs on the back of my neck rising. I slowly turn around to face Cato.

"Can you feel that? Almost like electricity is-CATO!" I can't warn him about the large man in white armour standing behind him fast enough and although he spins round perfectly to face his assailant, he can do nothing to stop the device emitting the electrical current from digging into his neck.

The effect is instantaneous and the man laughs as Cato screams and crumples, his limbs flailing and shaking as he struggles with an invisible enemy on the ground. I want to help him, but I'm too afraid of hurting him so I stand frozen in fear. After a few seconds Cato stops flinching and he slumps to the ground unconscious. I gasp and make a move to run to him, but another peacekeeper comes up behind me and roughly grabs my arm. Knowing their power, I don't struggle and I instead watch with eagle-like precision as the first man throws Cato's limp form across his shoulders and begins to walk back to the fence. Cato bounces gently and the sight makes me want to be sick because he looks like a corpse. We're caught.

Before we start the inevitable journey back into District Twelve, the peacekeeper holding Cato over his shoulders locks a strange device onto the unconscious blonde's wrists. He does something to the device and it makes a beeping noise before Cato's hands are forced together, presumably from some kind of magnetic force. I watch this action silently and don't bother struggling when the grip on my upper arm tugs me forward. I stumble and nearly trip up on the ground but the hold on my arm prevents me from doing anything except walk back towards the fence.

We don't go through the hole that Cato and I escaped from and instead we are admitted through the gate under the watchful eye of yet another figure in white armour. Cato has woken up in the peacekeeper's grip and I can tell from the way he is hanging at a strange angle over the man's shoulders that he still has no control over his body. We make eye contact and I can see the apologetic look in his eyes, as if he blames himself for not protecting me and getting us to District Thirteen. I want to tell him that it doesn't matter, but if I even mention the taboo district I'm sure that it would make our impending punishment much worse.

On the way back into the district we pass the same houses that we did on our escape attempt and the hollow eyed people who gave us emotionless stares before are now standing outside watching us. I see some subtly do a gesture where they press three fingers to their lips and raise them in the air, but as soon as a peacekeeper looks towards them the sign disappears.

We end up being taken to a clearing outside the Justice Centre, located beside the entrance to the victor's village and almost instantly I see Finnick come sprinting towards us. He glares at the man holding my arm until I am let go and the bronze-haired victor wraps me up in a tight hug.

"Grey, you stupid girl, what were you thinking?!" He shouts at me, looking me in the face before pulling me into another hug. Suddenly we hear more footfalls and I hear Brutus shouting.

"Unhand my victor at once! What do you think you are doing?"

Cato's POV

The fact that the stunner pushed into my neck has forced all my muscles into shutdown isn't helped by my feeling that I have failed Grey. All she wanted was to get out of this place so that she could get a chance at a normal life, one untainted by the games, but here she was getting escorted back to District Twelve as I bounced along on a peacekeeper's shoulders. Grey makes eye contact with me once but quickly switches her gaze to the ground when she sees that I am looking back at her, and if I could move my arms I would run my hands over my face in shame.

I wonder what my punishment is going to be for possible treason and attempted escape. There's no way I will let Grey take any form of beating from these men. At least I am used to taking a fair few hits from my time at the academy. We approach a large building with a large sign labelling it as the Justice Centre and I am unceremoniously dropped on the dirt ground in front of it. I'm beginning to regain feeling back into my body so I manage to lift my head when I see Finnick, Haymitch and Brutus, accompanied by half a dozen cameras running towards us. Great, my punishment is going to be broadcasted all over Panem.

Finnick and Haymitch instantly gravitate towards Grey to check that she is okay, which is fine by me. I know I'm not going to be fine by the end of this, but as long as she is safe I will go through anything. I see Brutus' steel capped boots near me and I brace myself for the impending hit on the back of my head, but I am instead dragged to my feet by my collar and pushed by a peacekeeper so I'm sent stumbling. My hands are still pulled together with the strange device locked onto them so when I fall I take the brunt of the force on my chin which leaves me reeling. I'm pulled up again and through the pain in my jaw I don't notice that I'm bonded to a stake in the ground until I hear Brutus ask angrily what is happening.

"Five lashes for the instigator of treason." A voice says sternly from behind me and before the Capitol workers in our victor tour team can even turn their cameras on, there is a *crack* and I feel the first bite of the whip against my back. The unexpectedness of it makes it all the more painful and I can't hold back the cry of pain. I hear Grey scream but someone instantly silences her. The second lash is just as bad as the first; it feels like they've messed with the leather and dipped it in tracker jacker poison, because I can feel my head swimming in and out as if I'm going to start hallucinating any second.

Grey's begun to cry and the sound is making everything worse. I wouldn't feel pain if she just stayed quiet so I could be alone with my thoughts, so I would know that no one would care if I got hurt.

"Cato, please, you're hurt!" She shouts, and I have no idea what I'm meant to do. Just stand up and decide that I'm not going to get the other three lashes? I turn to look towards her and I catch the gaze of Finnick.

"Get her away." I plead with clenched teeth and he understands instantly, dragging her back towards Haymitch's house and ignoring her screams. Once Grey is gone, I manage to stay quiet through the final lashes, but there's definitely something off about the weapon they 're using because the pain of the hits are nothing compared to the stinging aftermath, as if I'm being burnt in the long slashes across my back.

I feel the bonds being untied and as soon as I'm free, I throw up on the ground. It must be some sort of venom because I've never reacted like this to lashings before. I feel someone throw a heavy blanket over my shoulders and back and the contact with my wounds makes them sting but I'm beginning to shiver. This is some crazy stuff.

"Come on Cato, let's get you to Haymitch's place so that we can fix you up." A voice starts talking but it sounds to me like they are standing at the end of a tunnel that is getting further and further away. Then everything goes dark.

Grey's POV

Haymitch and Finnick escort me back to victor's village and I cry and attempt to run back to Cato at every block.

"Grey, it's going to be fine. Cato's just a little… incapacitated at the moment. I'm sure there are doctors here. He just wanted to protect you from getting the same punishment." Finnick says quietly as we walk and I unattractively wipe my eyes with the sleeve of my dress.

"That whip took chunks out of his back! He-he's-" Finnick interrupts me with another hug - there seems to be a lot of those today - and my sentence dies away.

"I know sweetheart, I know."

We arrive back at Haymitch's house and the two men sit me on the couch and wrap a blanket tightly around my shoulders, basically debilitating me. They walk hurriedly from room to room, talking and making phone calls as I sit numbly watching them.

Soon there is a knock at the door and I run to open it before anyone else can. There's a small crowd of people on the doorstep, a woman, a young girl, a girl my age, and a young man who is holding a limp body wrapped in a blanket similar to the one around me. I recognise a familiar tuft of blonde hair and I shriek and grab onto Cato, startling the person holding him. Cato doesn't respond to my advance and I stop when I realise that he's deeply unconscious. It reminds me of when Spens drove the knife through his hand and Cato had to be carried back to camp by Marvel. The memory makes what is happening now all the more worse.

"Ah Mrs Everdeen, thank you so much for bringing Cato here. Hello Primrose, Gale, Katniss." Haymitch greets the people standing at the door and gestures for them to come in. He sounds surprisingly polite when he's sober and I'm surprised. The change in him is disconcerting and it sounds like we are at a wake after a funeral. The woman I presume is Mrs Everdeen gives me a sad smile as she passes me and rubs my arm softly. The young girl instantly follows the woman inside, taking a large basket of herbs with her. She has long blonde hair and looks nothing like the sullen-looking pair that follow. For a second I think that they aren't going to say anything to me, but they stop and look uncomfortable before speaking.

"I'm Katniss and this is my friend Gale." The young woman says. She has long brown hair tied in a braid with olive coloured skin, and if she wasn't so thin she would be absolutely stunning. The boy carrying Cato looks a lot like her, but I put it down to living in the same area rather than being related. "Look, we're really sorry. That gap in the fence is ours. We didn't know someone else would try and use it."

"It's okay, really. Cato and I are stubborn; we would have found a way out of the district anyway." After a call from further inside the house we take the unconscious Cato into the main room. Finnick must have started preparing as soon as he heard the door because he has pulled out a table and draped some sort of plastic sheet over it. Then I notice all the towels bundled in a pile and I realise with a sick feeling that there is going to be a lot of blood.

I must let out a sob because I feel a gentle tug at the fabric near my waist and I look down to see the little blonde, she must be Primrose, wrap her arms around me.

"He'll be okay, it's happened before. I went and picked some herbs yesterday so we're fully stocked!" She looks so hopeful and innocent that I offer a small smile to her and nod.

"Excuse me, Grey is it?" A voice calls from beside me and I turn to see the older woman Mrs Everdeen, still with the sympathetic expression on her face.

"Yes?" I whisper, my voice cracking slightly.

"You're going to have to help us hold him down dear."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: I posted this chapter earlier than I planned to so hopefully that makes up for the fact that it is shorter than normal chapters. I am having a rather busy time at the moment, so I'm not sure when the next one will be up but I'll try for the end of the week. Please review this chapter, any ideas/criticism/thoughts would be greatly appreciated! I think this chapter has been one that some people have been looking forward to (or dreading!). Enjoy!**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Twelve

Grey's POV

I walk very slowly towards Cato's motionless body and watch as Finnick peels away the shirt that has been glued on with the blood. Brutus stands nearby with a distasteful expression but I can see the look of sadness in his eyes that he tries to hide. When I reach Finnick he catches sight of me and steps back, gesturing that I should be the one near Cato's face. I don't know where he got that idea; I don't think I can stand seeing pain in the eyes of someone I care about.

That's why I squeeze my eyes shut when Mrs Everdeen begins cleaning Cato's ravaged back. He's been put on his side to protect his injuries so when I kneel down we are face to face. I grip his hands tightly, partly because I want to comfort him when the pain eventually wakes him up but also because I'm afraid he's going to hurt himself.

Brutus has appeared beside me to hold down Cato's lower body and a few seconds after we begin holding him down I feel him push slightly against my grip. Almost as if he realises that he's being restrained in his sleep, he pushes a little harder and it's getting to the point where I will have to let go soon. Then suddenly the force against me abruptly stops and I sigh with relief, still with my eyes closed.

"Grey?" A quiet voice murmurs and I open my eyes to a very pale looking Cato staring back at me. I instantly wrap my arms around his neck and press my lips to his forehead, trying to be gentle with his frail body. I hear him wince and there's an apologetic reply from behind him. We spend the next few minutes in an embrace where I delicately cradle his head and stroke his hair while he holds me. I'm surprised he isn't wincing or even screaming from the pain, but apart from having his jaw clenched he makes no sound and I shudder to think of how much pain his district must have put him through in order for him to be a career. He may not ever tell me.

After he's all set with a strange cream made from crushed plants and a large white bandage around his back, everyone leaves Cato and me alone. Katniss and Gale apologise softly when they are sure no one is watching but Primrose, who I learn is Katniss' younger sister, prances out of the house. Apparently this was the first time she helped with a serious injury. Even with the pain he is in, Cato manages to hold a serious face with just a hint of humour as he shakes her hand in congratulation.

"What do you think is going to happen now?" I whisper when the sounds of everyone talking at the door have stopped and we are completely alone. I pull myself up onto the table that Cato is lying on and he arranges himself around me without putting pressure on his back as he replies.

"I don't know. Is it a little too much to hope that this won't get back to President Snow?" He chuckles to himself but it fades when he sees the look on my face. "Sorry. It's going to be something bad. I… I was meant to look after you and look what happened."

Before I can reply, he flings his body around and scrapes his bandaged back on the table. I leap off the table and shriek his name, because we both know this is his injured version of punching a wall. Cato's eyes are strong when he tells me that he is fine, and as much as I coax him he stays as he is.

"It's not your fault…" I whisper softly as I softly stroke his face and trace his jaw. He closes his eyes and hums in disagreement, but doesn't say anything. When Cato's breathing deepens abruptly and he shifts to accommodate his back, I know he's temporarily at rest. He's safe for now which is all we wanted by trying to run to District Thirteen. I pull a chair up to the table and watch Cato's sleeping facial expression as my hand slips into his. It's going to be a long night.

"Grey! Wake up. Come on, we need you up." I sit up and realise that I've had my face - when did I fall asleep - pressed against the table where Cato was lying. The absence of Cato makes me wake up instantly and I fling my head around to see Finnick beside me. He takes in my stressful expression and hesitantly pats my shoulder.

"Cato's already with Brutus and the others. There's been a report from the Capitol of a mandatory announcement in a few minutes." He begins to walk out of the room and when he gestures for me to follow I rise from the chair and hurry to follow my mentor.

Cato, Brutus and both of our escorts and prep teams are all squished into Haymitch's tiny living area where a screen is up and showing the Capitol emblem. I can't see Haymitch himself at first, but he soon comes sashaying in with a bottle of alcohol and seats himself in the middle of the bustle. Cato shifts over to make room for me and I see that he has changed into a button-up shirt and it looks like he's washed his hair. I don't ask how he got clean without irritating his back because I have a feeling it involved a sponge and possibly Brutus.

But when I sit down next to him, he grins widely and leans close to speak in my ear.

"Brutus made some calls and they got some flash medicine sent over from one of the other Districts. It's insane, the wounds closed up in seconds! It feels a bit stiff still, but isn't that great?" I smile back at him in reply as he lifts up the back of his shirt so that I can peer at his mostly healed back. He's right; they have all scabbed over and look so much better than before. I trace one gently with the tip of my finger, and although I slip a smile on my face when Cato turns around again, all I can think of is that even if all his wounds close up we are still wanted by President Snow.

"Shh! It's starting everyone!" Domitia's voice breaks up my thoughts and I look at the screen to see that indeed the Capitol emblem has disappeared and been replaced with a black screen. In another moment it cuts to President Snow sitting stonily in front of the camera. I hear a sharp intake of breath and when Cato looks to me I realise that it was me who made the sound. He slips his hand into mine and we both look around to those who know about President Snow's visit and hatred of us. Glances and pursed lips are sent to Finnick, Brutus and Haymitch while the Capitol citizens in the room watch the President with oblivious wide eyes.

"Greetings citizens of Panem. I hope you enjoyed the 74th annual Hunger Games. However it has come to my attention that many of you are upset that our precious victors, Grey and Cato did not attend an interview or have much interaction with you, the people." Snow's cold voice seeps into the room and Cato and I make nervous eye contact. _Are we being taken back to be interviewed?_ "Which is why I am breaking tradition and announcing the Quarter Quell early - it is something to look forward to, perhaps?"

Suddenly there is a bustle of noise: excitement from the prep teams and escorts at the thought of something new to follow, and a deep murmur of dread coming from the victors. I stay with my eyes glued to the screen as an envelope with an obvious 75 pasted on the front is handed to the President. It's meant to have been locked in a box since the beginning of the games themselves but it's not fooling anyone. This quell could have been planned yesterday for all we know. President Snow slowly breaks the seal on the envelope and he brings out the slip of paper. A few seconds pass as he reads over it and an unattractive smile slowly graces his face.

"'To show that the Hunger Games is a game of luck and fate, on the 3rd Quarter Quell the Capitol will reap six districts from the usual twelve who will each send in four tributes. Two of these will be victors and two shall be non-victors. Things are not as they seem in the 75th Hunger Games, and it will become more necessary than ever for the odds be in your favour."

There is utter silence in Haymitch's home. The previous excitement has disappeared at the risk of any of the victors in the room being sent back into the arena. Cato squeezes my hand and looks at me forcefully.

"It's not going to be us. Only six districts have to send in tributes and even if our districts are picked, we are career districts. There are lots of victors!" I don't reply to Cato and instead stare straight ahead. It feels like déjà vu because I know what is about to happen.

President Snow laughs gleefully and gestures outside of the screen. A small bowl much like the one used in the district reaping is placed in front of him.

"I think it would be exciting to draw the six districts now, wouldn't it?" He looks into the camera and I can feel his eyes boring into me in particular. He draws six slips of paper out of the bowl one by one and reads them aloud.

"The districts sending in tributes are as follows: District Three… District Nine… District Twelve… District Two… District One… District Four. Congratulations to the aforementioned. District reapings will occur on schedule. The victory tour will continue." And the broadcast cuts out abruptly to a blank screen. Haymitch very slowly presses a button on the device beside him and the screen disappears.

"Well then, it looks like I'm going in again this year. There's only one victor from District Twelve." Someone from Cato's prep team screams but my gaze doesn't leave Haymitch as he stares back at me.

"You know, don't you?" He asks me, but it's a statement not a question. "It's you and Cato." And I do know. I knew it as soon as the Quell was announced. Cato and I are going back into the arena, and this time they are making sure that we don't get out.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait everyone. Thanks for all the reviews :) I've stopped replying to each individually, I only reply to the longer ones, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate and read them all. I hope you enjoy this chapter, the Quarter Quell is coming up soon and it's going to be really exciting! I've already started planning it. Enjoy chapter thirteen! **

Crowd of Two

Chapter Thirteen

Grey's POV

"No! Grey is not going in! I won't let that happen!" Cato's eyes are wild as he screams at us, somehow only making the silence in the room louder. He throws himself into a standing position and looks at each person in the room individually, making them look away uncomfortably. His body language screams that he has conflicted emotions as he tries to make the decision whether to seek comfort or destruction and no one seems to know what to do. I tentatively reach out to touch him but Brutus gets there first and grabs him tightly by the arm.

"Cato, Cato! Calm down, we need to sit and talk this through as a group. Your father would want you to lose control, but you're better than that. Come on boy, get through." By the end of Brutus' pep talk, Cato is standing curled over with fists pressed into his eyes. He looks small and vulnerable but after a few seconds he stands up and holds himself rigidly beside his mentor. He avoids eye contact with me completely.

"We're all going to help her get out alive." Brutus looks up at me and Cato's eyes follow reluctantly. All around us everyone is nodding in agreement and it makes me embarrassed that all these people are going to help me. Really, it's Cato who deserves to win now.

I see the blonde victor take a deep breath and his shoulders relax slightly on the exhale, but without saying anything he quickly walks out of the room. A few seconds later I hear the sound of the front door slamming shut. I look to Brutus who tilts his head in the direction of the door, giving me permission to go after his tribute.

I'm surprised to find that it's dark outside when I hurry out the door looking for Cato. Lights illuminate the small street of empty victor houses but beyond those the rest of District Twelve is dark. Suddenly, the house a few doors down suddenly lights up from the inside, which is odd as no one should be living there. When I slip through the doorway I see that the lock has been broken from some sort of impact and when I step onto the plush carpet the lights instantly switch off. I think to myself that Cato doesn't want anyone to disturb him, but I continue through the house anyway, poking my head into each room.

He's not in any of the rooms on the ground floor and I pad up the stairs listening for any indication that Cato is in the house. He's not one to take anger quietly and soon enough I hear the sound of something smashing from above me which is followed by a cry of fury. I don't even think about how dangerous Cato could be right now, all I can think about is how afraid he must be so I run up the last steps and fling the door at the end of the passage open. I catch sight of him standing brokenly with an equally broken vase in his hand and I instantly run to him, wrapping my arms tightly around his body.

"I-I…" Cato begins, "This wasn't supposed to happen. I _can't_ lose you."

"I can't lose you either!" I cry back in reply. "If you were gone I would have nothing of you! I need you Cato, please." I tilt my head up and he captures my lips with his. I slip one hand around his back and pull him closer while my other hand snakes up to the nape of his neck and my fingers reach up to mess up the back of his hair. I can feel the surprise in the way he's holding me but after a couple of seconds he adjusts his stance and lifts me off the ground so that I can wrap my legs around his waist.

We pull apart abruptly and he stares at me with dilated eyes.

"This isn't a good idea. You're what, 17? Gosh, I don't even know how old you are. We can't do this!"

"Cato, you've been gently pushing for ages. I appreciate your concern now, but listen to me. We are going into the arena and we aren't coming out together this time. This is the end of our relationship as we know it. Do you really think the District Two tributes are going to let you near me?" I stare strongly at Cato while I continue to sit against him with my legs round his waist. He looks sideways for a second, as if someone is going to appear and tell him whether or not he should follow his thoughts.

Supposedly his conscience gives him the OK because after a couple of seconds his mouth finds mine again and he carries me to the bedroom. We go along from there on instinct, because there are no longer words to describe our feelings. A death sentence does that to you. As I lie under Cato and he tears his shirt off, I leave him with one whispered comment before we communicate on actions alone.

"Be gentle."

I wake up with a muscled arm draped across my stomach and gentle breathing coming from behind me. For some reason the calm sound only increases the dread that has turned up in my thoughts this morning. It has nothing to do with what took place last night between Cato and I, truthfully that's the only thing I don't regret. Instead it's the nagging feeling of what is going to happen in the quarter quell and the idea that Cato and I should get used to the idea of splitting up right now that plagues me.

I slowly extricate myself from Cato's arms and quietly dress before he can wake up. I watch from the door for a moment as he unconsciously searches for me, but when his search is in vain he resorts to pulling the blankets over himself alone with a slight frown on his face. He looks so perfect lying there with his mouth a little pouted that it takes every inch of my being to walk out the door and over to the other inhabited house next door.

Haymitch and Finnick are sitting at the table drinking together when I enter. I always knew Finnick was plagued at night by nightmares but seeing him go to alcohol feels like a whole new low to me. I'm almost tempted to ask for a bottle myself but instead I trudge past.

"I'm going to pack my bag," I say quietly to Finnick as I pass him, "And then I would like to go home."

"Sure sweetheart." Finnick gives me a sad look as I disappear from sight.

I had thought I would be able to get on the train without Cato waking up so at least he could have an undisturbed sleep before his world starts to come crashing down. I wasn't sure what he had assumed, but I had certainly expected to go home to District Two with him after the victory tour. Now even the thought of staying with Cato makes me nervous. President Snow might leave us alone if we split. Neither of us can do much rebelling without the other.

I wasn't quite sure what I thought I was going to do when I got to the train, bribe someone into letting Cato tour the districts on his own? But maybe I would at least be granted a day or so back at home for me to recover and prepare. How would I face the districts of people now that we all knew we were almost certainly going back into the arena?

My plan crashes and burns as soon as I get to the train station. Firstly, there are a multitude of peacekeepers that suddenly appear to tell me that I cannot leave the district without the full party and that there will certainly be no changes to the victory tour schedule. But then I am forced to sit on a bench surrounded by white armoured men as Cato is woken up, informed, and ordered here immediately with the rest of our group. I dread seeing his disappointed face and although when he does come trudging along the platform I can see he tries to not look it, the pain in his expression is evident.

As soon as we make eye contact, he runs across the platform and takes me in his arms.

"You were gone. I thought it was something I had done that made you want to run away from me. Was it last night? Have I ruined everything?" Cato asks me a barrage of questions and nearby Finnick raises one eyebrow at the references to the night before, quite likely suspecting what took place. I shake my head violently and wrap my arms tightly around Cato's tense frame.

"No, it wasn't you. I'm so sorry; I just want to go home. _Anywhere_. Somewhere where there are no games and no one is going to talk about us and give us sad looks because they know that both of us are getting closer and closer to our death sentences!" I end up shouting by the time I finish but Cato says nothing and instead pushes his lips against mine, quieting me instantly.

After that we decide not to talk about the upcoming quell anymore and the victory tour quickly passes. It's painful enough that at every district we visited after District Twelve, someone asked us about "what it is like" and how we feel knowing that "the odds just aren't in our favour." They didn't know anything. They have never lost close friends or worse, been forced to kill close friends. So whenever the fateful subject came up in conversation at each district all of us clam up and look away, hoping that by saying nothing we are improving our chances of recovering from all of this.

Cato and I travel from districts eleven to one, giving the same pre written speeches in front of the seemingly same citizens. District Eleven was one of the worst days of my life. I was speaking almost directly to what had to be Rue's family and the whole time I could not get the image of her broken body out of my head. I don't speak to Cato for the entire day after that and he eventually realises that it was his sword that pierced her body. He cradles me in his arms for the whole night that night.

We pass through the district of the boy I killed - was he district 8 or 9? - without a fuss. I'm incredibly thankful for this because I had expected harsh glares from the public, but the day passes uneventfully. The downside of this is that we feel much worse when we see the families of tributes that we actually befriended during the arena. For me that tribute is Marvel and when I see his family in the audience, well actually his mother and someone I can only assume is his younger brother, I break down in tears. Cato stands stonily beside me the whole time with only an arm wrapped around my waist to show he's upset by my tears, but he was not particularly close with any of the deceased tributes we are remembering. It was probably in his career handbook back in District Two: Don't make friends in the arena.

And then at last we spend a day in the Capitol knowing that after that we can return home. By then, all the thoughts of going back to Two with Cato have disappeared. We've received enough comments about how hard it is going to be to continue a relationship with the looming games that we are both exhausted with the prospect. So when we split up as Cato disembarks with Brutus in District Two there are no tears. Frankly, I'm all cried out.

"Keep in touch." Cato whispers to me as he pulls me into his arms before he leaves. I nod silently and we kiss for a moment before Cato sadly follows Brutus out onto the cold platform of his district. He looks so small and alone but he tries to give me a half-hearted smile when the doors to the train close and put up a barrier between us. I call out "Cato!" but he can't hear me through the glass and he can only wave dejectedly like a character in a silent film as the engines start up. This time, no one runs along the platform like our friends did in District Four, and Cato's figure is out of sight too soon.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! I didn't get many reviews last chapter, but I'm sure it was because you were all sad that Cato and Grey had to separate... right? Thanks to those who did review though! Enjoy chapter fourteen! Drop me a review too!**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Fourteen

Grey's POV

It's very quiet in my new house in victors' village. I had been almost _forced_ there as soon as I arrived with Finnick in District Four, but all I really wanted to do was to curl up on my bed in my own house where all the memories were. Here, I couldn't stand in the kitchen and pretend I heard my mother moving around sorting furniture for the umpteenth time that month, even though now she was probably somewhere in the middle of no man's land between two districts, i_f_ she had gotten that far at all. But really what I was looking for, and what I strained to find in this enormous new house, was a ghost - a tiny piece - of Cato.

I strained to hear his laugh or to see his smirking grin in the mirror. I swore I could feel his warm body beside me at night, but I told no one for the fear of sounding crazy. I eventually put my strange thoughts to the fact that this house was just too big. Every victor's house was extremely large, with enough bedrooms to house you in a separate one each day of the week, even though only one person ever returned from the games to that particular house.

I figured quite quickly into my stay that the reason for all the extra rooms was to make the inhabitant want to _fill_ those rooms. Just think of it, a whole set of victor babies that will eventually become victors themselves. The whole idea disgusted me, and it wasn't just because I missed Cato. It seemed like even ten years in the future, the Capitol still planned on controlling my life.

I tried to act happy for Titus and the others, going out with them during the day as if my death sentence wasn't quickly looming. No one mentioned the games and the denial worked perfectly well for us. But once I got home I would sit at the table (with 9 empty chairs of course) and stare at the phone that refused to ring. _Didn't Cato care about me anymore? Was he too busy for a girl from District Four?_

A month or so before now, when there was another month left until the reaping and the games, my patience had snapped and I found his number in the unopened book beside the phone and called the District Two victor. It rang for so long that I was about to give up on the idea completely, when a gruff voice answered. I recognised it instantly as Cato's father and my stomach had dropped in fear.

"Hello? Who is this?" I forced myself not to hang up the phone, and I managed to squeak a reply.

"It's Grey. Fr-from District Four?"

"What do you mean '_from district four?_'?" He cruelly imitated my nervousness before continuing. "What, are you having trouble remembering where you are from?" Cato's father had chuckled meanly to himself while I stood silently on the other side of the phone, biting my lip.

"Can I please speak to Cato?" I whispered, just loud enough to be intelligible. The laughter abruptly stopped.

"He's busy with training." Came the harsh reply. "He's preparing for the quarter quell. I'm sure if he wishes to talk to you he will call you when he has a spare moment. Now if you'll excuse me, you interrupted my work and it is very important. Goodbye." And with that I was left gaping at the receiver, trying to come up with something to say as I am hung up on.

Now it was only a week before reaping day and Cato had never called. Except for that conversation with his father, I had received no word from the district whatsoever. Maybe going back to his district _had_ awakened his need to win the games - the right way this time - and he really had forgotten about me. Well good riddance, _I would forget about him too_.

Cato's POV

I wipe the beads of sweat off my face with one arm before resuming my one sided battle with the training dummy in front of me. Time had been slow all day and I couldn't even say how long I had been training without a water break. My vision was starting to get hazy from dehydration and exertion, but when I look towards my trainer he gestures for me to continue with an appalled expression. I steel myself and keep going; if I could just get through these last couple of weeks I would be free of this. I'm 18 years old now; I shouldn't still be at the training center with these teenagers training to be volunteers.

I throw a few more good punches at the dummy in front of me but suddenly I lurch sideways as my body is overcome with nausea. Arms instantly come under my armpits and drag me over to the corner of the training center before lowering me not-so-gently onto the ground. A water bottle is passed to me and I manage to take a gulp before my head is roughly pushed between my knees.

"You never used to do this, Cato. You're bringing shame to the family by the commotion you are causing." I recognise the voice of my father instantly and I refuse to look up even though the sickly feeling is already receding. When I returned from the victory tour, my father resumed his tough routine for me. Apparently he had decided that even if I wasn't picked, I was going to volunteer again. _Apparently_, my last win wasn't good enough for him because I took Grey out of the arena with me. This time the same mistake would not be occurring again.

"I'm sorry, okay?" I grunt.

My face is yanked up by my hair until I'm forced to look my father in the face.

"You better be, boy." The nickname reminds me of Brutus, but this _man_ in front of me is nothing compared to Brutus, the mentor who actually cared a little about my well-being.

"I think it's best for everyone," He continues, "if you come home when you have composed yourself. Or better yet, spend the night here. It allows you to train first thing in the morning."

"I wanted to call Grey tonight, _father._" I say, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. He smiles evilly.

"I don't know why you would, my dear boy. She hasn't contacted us at all since you first arrived. It seems she may have forgotten all about you. She always did seem particularly chummy with that boy… what was his name? The interviewed one… Ah, Titus_._"

I growl and my father's smile broadens. He pats me on the back with absolutely no affection before leaving me alone in the training center.

Grey's POV

Finnick knocks on my door early on reaping day. I am already dressed and ready to go when he arrives.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" He murmurs, taking me in for a tight hug. I nod and attempt a smile.

"Yep, I'm gunna win this thing!" My mentor laughs and I give him my best career smirk before following him outside.

Because there are so many victors in the district, it's not enough to line them up in front of the non-victor sections and so I am not able stand with Eunia and Terra. Instead, once I identify myself I have to go right up to the front where there is an entirely new area roped off for victors. In the back of my mind I appreciate this, because it means I don't have to walk as far to get to the stage when they pick my name.

Looking up at the stage as everyone else continues to register and get settled, I notice that there are two extra reaping balls. They aren't labelled but I assume that there are two for victors and two for non-victors. It looks like there are a lot of name slips in there but I'm curious to know if the district really is fair and if everyone's name is actually in there.

A couple of minutes later when the noise has mostly died down, Domitia comes tottering on stage in her little heels and she taps the microphone on stage loudly.

"Welcome to the third annual quarter quell!" She says, beaming widely at the audience. "Before we begin, we are going to watch a short film." I prepare myself for ultimate boredom watching the film that I have been forced to endure at every reaping before this one, but instead it is a speech that I don't recognise, talking about the _new _rebellion. There are murmurs all around me in confusion and I look beside me at Finnick who is giving me the same expression as the one on my face.

It ends abruptly while we are all still talking and I notice the peacekeepers surrounding the crowd shuffle their weapons a bit. There is never this much noise in a reaping. I begin to realise that maybe I have misinterpreted the seriousness of the quarter quell. The last one was 25 years ago, several years before I was even born, and apart from knowing Haymitch from District Twelve won, the information had been kept quiet and it has never been shown publically in my lifetime. At least, _I'd_ never seen it.

"Ahem. If we could get on to the reaping now…" Domitia questions, doubting herself as the people on the ground beneath the stage continue to have loud conversations with one another. Fortunately, they stop after a few more taps on the microphone and suddenly we are plunged into deathly silence once more.

"Oh! Well I thought we could do the victor reaping first. How about we start with the boys this time?" As Domitia swirls her hand in the ball on the far left, I feel Finnick's hand slip into mine. He squeezes just as she pulls a slip out and I squeeze tightly back.

"Finnick Odair."

The first thing I register after the shock is a woman screaming, "Finn!" I crane my head round and see the dark-haired young woman who I know as Annie trying to break through the crowd and get to me and Finnick, who is still standing beside me. As if waking from a trance, he suddenly shakes his head and moves away from the crowd, ducking under the barrier and walking tensely onto the stage. Annie reaches me too late and I wrap one arm around her as she breaks down into tears.

"It's okay," I whisper, "He's going to get out and come back to you." She looks at me with teary eyes but nods with a sure expression.

"And our other victor tribute… Grey. Come on up dear." There's a collective sigh from the crowd as my name is called next, and it is most likely related to the fact that everyone knows about me and Cato. I think we should be called 'the couple that can't catch a break' now. I extract myself apologetically from Annie, who is wailing even louder now, and walk emotionlessly onto the stage to join Finnick. We shake hands with matching smirks to cover up how deeply this turn of events is hurting us. Then we are gently pushed to the side of the stage as the next two tributes are reaped.

"Well this is unexpected." Finnick sarcastically whispers into my ear and I burst out laughing, causing Domitia to give me a sidelong glance as she pulls out the name of the reaped boy tribute. I purse my lips to stop myself from laughing again but to any spectator it would look like we are having the time of our lives up here on stage. It must be the shock of this whole ordeal. I mean, we are going to die in a week and this will probably be our last laugh, _literally._

"Titus." She calls out and suddenly my giggling stops and my jaw drops open in horror. I have to stop myself from going up to the escort and ripping the slip of paper right out of her hands. The Capitol could do whatever they liked to me, but when they started messing with my old friends, the ones that have nothing to do with Cato or the rebellion, that's when I snap. I clench my teeth when no one volunteers to take his place and as he walks onto the stage I try my very hardest to pretend that I don't know him. Any relationships in the games turn out terribly and seeing as I already had one…

I'm so focused on _not _focusing on Titus that I miss the reaping of the female non-victor completely. I don't even notice her presence until she's standing in front of me shaking my hand. She has dark hair and smiles at me sheepishly, but I can see she's struggling to keep it together. I whisper a greeting to her and smile back, hoping to calm her nerves slightly. Under Domitia's direction we all link hands and raise them in the air, representing victory. There's a depressing applause and then we are taken straight to the train. No goodbyes.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. Classes have started again this week, and actually it's my birthday today (!) so that's taken up a lot of the last few days preparing. But here's an albeit short update, hopefully it will do until I have time to write a longer one. Review this as a birthday present to me? Enjoy!**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Fifteen

Grey's POV

"Grey, get over here. We're watching the reaping coverage." Finnick's emotionless voice floats over to me and I turn my head to look back at him. I've been sitting at the window of the train ever since we left District Four, disinterested in anything relating to the games. I couldn't bear to look at Finnick, his normal smirk replaced with a sad, pitying expression. I knew why: The further away we got from Annie, the closer we got the Capitol and our likely deaths.

Titus and Caria, the other female tribute who I was introduced to on the way to the station, sat nervously on the couch opposite Finnick. They seemed uncomfortable that no one was talking to them, because right now their mentor should be giving them tips to stay alive. As far as I knew, if a mentor happened to be a tribute as well, then there would be no mentor. So there would be no mentors for District Four this year, unless Finnick or Mags - who I didn't think was even on this train - decided to give their knowledge.

I slowly make my way over to the seating area and sit between Titus and Finnick, who sighs impatiently and presses a button on the device he is holding. Instantly the Capitol seal is projected up onto the wall of the train in front of us and it goes straight into the District One reaping. Similar to our own reaping, the victors are picked first and I recognise Cashmere and her brother Gloss when they volunteer proudly and prance onto the stage. The two blonde siblings are two of the most famous victors in the district, and they must want another taste for blood to be volunteering.

The next tribute is a volunteer named Kaine. He has dark red hair that is spiked in all directions and he runs up to join the other tributes while whooping in delight, lifting his hands up to try and get louder cheers from the already screaming audience. While this is happening, I hear Titus huff from beside me. A girl is reaped next as 'Lightening' and Finnick scoffs at her name from the other side of me, but I can instantly tell that the sullen teenager with black hair - hints of blonde show themselves when she moves - is not someone to mess with. I shut my old mentor up with a glare and he goes quiet as the girl smirks into the microphone and says that she's actually known as "Litty." The glare she gives her escort is enough to frighten everyone on the train, but Kaine wraps one arm around the sneering tribute and laughs loudly.

My heart starts beating quicker as the camera cuts badly to District Two and as their escort's hand swirls through the (large) reaping ball of male victors, everyone slowly looks to me to see how I will react. There's a collective sigh of relief when someone I don't recognise is called up as the male victor tribute, but suddenly a loud but expressionless voice announces that they volunteer and my heart cracks a little. A very tired looking Cato, with bags under his eyes and a red cheek - as if he was slapped in the face - slowly makes his way up to the stage.

I whisper "No…" under my breath and hardly notice as Enobaria is called as the other victor tribute, and a secretive looking teenage boy walks up without even volunteering. The escort takes it all in her stride, and "Target" as he introduces himself, goes to stand beside Cato. Cato barely looks up at the person coming to stand beside him and Target - with his dark hair shaved close to his head - looks like he will pick up more sponsors. Next, a blonde who reminds me of Glimmer with the name Brynn is reaped, and the four tributes plus the escort begin to walk into the Justice Center. Cato has the cameras on him for a moment and we all see him mouth "I'm sorry." He could be speaking to anyone, but from the way he is looking everyone with even half a brain cell knows it's directed at me.

"Cato, you idiot!" I scream suddenly, getting up on my feet as footage from District Three starts. "No!" Everyone looks up at me and Finnick reaches out an arm as I run past, but I evade his grip and keep running until I get out of the room. Through teary eyes I try and find my room, but unfortunately I meet our escort, Domitia before I can get there. I see her purse her lips at me which makes me cry even harder, and I push her out of the way so I can run past. With surprising speed, she grabs my arm with her hand and pulls me into a crushing hug.

"Oh goodness, whatever is the matter Grey?" She shushes me gently and my sobs turn into hiccups. When I don't answer her, she ponders for a second and then hazards a guess.

"Was Cato reaped?" The way my sobs start up again says that she's right. My purple haired escort leads me gently to my room where I collapse face-down on the bed and she perches on the edge and starts to rub my back.

"You knew it was a possibility, Grey, we all knew it." She continues and I nod into the bed covers.

"Of course I knew," I mumble, "But he wasn't reaped, he _volunteered_. It's like he wanted to go back! That's not the Cato I know…"

"I think that sounds a lot like Cato's father, don't you?" A voice says from behind us and I sit up to see Finnick standing in the doorway. "I can take care of this now Domitia, thank you." Our escort leaves the room and Finnick comes and sits casually beside me.

"You saw how upset Cato looked volunteering, didn't you?" He begins, staring straight into my eyes, "You know that's not how he is now. He'll be dreading going back into the games, especially when he finds out you're a tribute too. His father or a trainer must have told him that he had to volunteer." I nod at him but don't reply because he has already started talking again.

"You're going to have to tread carefully in this year's games. I've met Enobaria countless times and she is a psychopath! But she is also smart and she knows that she needs to keep Cato away from you at all costs. You'll have to get used to the idea that you won't be in the same team this year." I nod solemnly.

"I know that Finnick. It's probably best for both of us anyway because it means we won't have to see each other brutally murdered. _That's_ always a positive." Finnick sighs and pats my back sympathetically before rising from the bed.

"Finnick?" I call out to him, stopping him on his way to the door. "Who else was reaped this year?"

"Not much to compete with the career pack I'm afraid. Beetee and Wiress are in, they're exceptionally smart, and maybe they could be helpful. The victors from Nine are nothing, but the reaped kids look like people we want: strong and defiant looks in their eyes. And District Twelve, well I'm sure you know Haymitch is there. Also Katniss and who was it… _Gale's_ little brother. Ah, Rory." My mouth drops open at the idea of fighting against Katniss, Haymitch and a sibling of Gale's after they helped us back in District Twelve. _Us, that meant me and Cato._

"Oh. Was there anybody strong looking? I mean, we're going to have to fight the careers." I reply.

"No one stood out to me. Titus is probably the strongest and most well trained out of all of us." Finnick says, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess I could find a trident and you have your knives, I don't know about you but I'm probably a bit rusty now."

Feigning tiredness, I bid Finnick goodnight and he exits the room, leaving me alone. I lie on the bed for a long time, thinking about the tributes I saw on the recaps and also those I would see for the first time at the parade. Thinking about what was realistically going to happen when a strong group of careers went up against the rest of us. Thinking about what would happen when Cato caught me at the end of his sword. I only slept a couple of hours at the most that night, and I only realised this when the warning came over the intercom that we were arriving in the Capitol soon.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! Here's chapter sixteen. This took longer to write than I originally planned because I just read an amazing book (Unwind by Neal Shusterman) and felt the need to write a one-shot about it. It's on my profile but I know that most people won't have read the original book so it probably wouldn't make much sense. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, it's the reunion you have (hopefully!) all been waiting for!**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Sixteen

Grey's POV

I rub my eyes tiredly as I try and block out the noise of the Capitol people. Although last time I was here I was expected to wave to all the citizens who could be possible sponsors, this time Finnick had given me different advice. _"If you don't wave, people will think about how upset you must be about fighting against Cato this year. It might help your sponsorship chances." _So here I was walking through a crowd of people with a sad expression on my face and my head tilted down at the ground. The expression wasn't particularly hard to put on, because there was a dark damper on our entire District Four group anyway.

Finnick and I walk side by side into the foyer of the apartment building where all the tributes will be spending their last week. I hear various questions directed at me from Capitol people standing behind barriers, but my old mentor who is also my good friend easily deflects them. Titus and Caria walk a few meters behind us, more interested in getting sponsors and asking the questions given to them. They had instantly stuck together after being reaped, because even though Titus and I had been best friends for years, there was always a tense silence now where before there would have been joking conversation.

We're the only other tributes in the foyer - I suspect they stagger the arrivals so that each district arrives separately and see each other for the first time at the parade - and we are quickly led into an elevator which takes us down to the basement level where our prep teams are waiting. There are two more teams that I don't recognise who gravitate to Caria and Titus and take them away. My team from last year greet and embrace me, and they lead me to a curtained off area with a familiar table in the middle. I can hear the sounds of muffled talking and hisses of pain every once and a while but I can't hear the one person who I'm listening out for.

As I sit through the concoctions my prep team layer onto my body, my mind is brought back to last year where I first saw Cato here. I turn my head in the same way I did then, but the curtains surrounding me are shut and even if Cato happened to me on the other side, he wouldn't want to see me. With a small sigh, I resign myself to lie silently for the rest of the preparation.

I don't see Finnick and the rest of the District Four tributes until I'm dressed in my parade outfit. It's immediately obvious that my outfit is different to theirs but when I try to ask my stylist why this is, she shrugs and states mysteriously that the president asked specifically for the addition. Finnick, Titus and Caria are all wearing outfits with a mixture of blue and green fabric that makes it look like water is rolling off of them when they move. I'm wearing similar, but I have one accessory that they don't: a net that winds its way around my torso, partially obscuring my upper arms.

Titus raises an eyebrow at the net and I shrug my shoulders. Although it was a simple item of clothing there was something about it that made me uneasy and I could tell Titus felt it too. Finnick is either oblivious or he chooses not to make a fuss about it, and without saying anything he quickly herds us towards the chariots where the rest of the tributes are beginning to arrive. I recognise a couple of people from District One, people I know I probably won't be having an alliance with this year.

But because I ran out after District Two's reaping, most of the tributes here are unrecognisable. There's a girl with a sullen expression and short blonde hair who stands alone and looks away as a boy tries and fails to make conversation with her. He catches me staring and gives a grin which makes me look away with a grin. I also catch the gaze of Katniss, who had helped Cato and I back in her district after his punishment, and she gives me a hard expression with a hint of recognition. Haymitch however has no resignations about staying cold to us and he walks over instantly and begins to talk in hushed tones to Finnick, who has become our unannounced leader because of his experience. I assume they are already talking alliances since none of us are going to be invited into the careers because of me.

A Capitol official holding a clipboard suddenly appears and announces that the tribute parade will be starting in a few minutes and it is advisory that we board our chariots. This year each district has two separate chariots, one for victors and one for non-victors. As I board the one designated for Finnick and I, the dark haired victor wraps one arm casually around my shoulders in a protective action. The flirty grin has all but gone this time around, but I know that it will instantly be out as soon as we are in view of the crowds.

I crane my neck to look for Cato but his district is notably absent and I hope he's okay even though I know I shouldn't be thinking about him anymore. Suddenly, a door opens and they come bursting in looking like gods. Enobaria leads the pack, grinning away with her pointed teeth gleaming gold and matching her outfit. The two non-victors, the girl and the tough looking young man I remember as Target walk behind her with equally cold expressions on their faces. And then I see Cato, the boy that caused all of this.

He's been done up during prep so he looks presentable and the bruise on his face has been removed. But the vacant look in his eyes that I can see even from over here proves that he's not completely happy with this arrangement. Like me, I notice, he is wearing an extra accessory. Except that his are two cuffs – one on each wrist – that are plated with gold and connected with a long cord. It instantly gives the impression of imprisonment, as if he has been handcuffed.

Then suddenly his eyes reach mine and he stops abruptly, causing his whole group to stop as well. His mouth has dropped open in shock and his face instantly changes, his eyes suddenly bright and warm as he takes in my appearance. The blonde victor takes a step towards me, his face completely open and revealing. I want to warn him that he shouldn't be showing any weakness, and Finnick's hand on my shoulder feels harder too, as if telling me to not go to him.

Almost at the same time, Enobaria notices that her strongest tribute has been brought to a standstill and I can hear her conspicuously hiss his name.

"Cato, _get over here_!" She says, staring him down and beckoning him furiously when he turns away from staring at me to grace her with his presence. I'm too far away to hear what he says back to her, but it must anger her even more because without replying, she grabs the cord connecting his possibly-not-decorative cuffs and tugs them, sending him flying forward in the direction she wants him to go.

Cato lets out a growl of anger about being so easily controlled and he doesn't look back at me as Enobaria pulls him all the way onto their chariot. By now, everyone in the room has either stopped to look or is sneaking glances every once and a while, and the attention his submission is getting is obviously making Cato furious because he puts on an evil sneer as his chariot starts to move. It's not until he's disappeared out into the large room where the parade is taking place that I realise what connection his cuffs have with the net surrounding me. This is President Snow's way of controlling us, showing everyone that Cato and Grey, the rebellious victors of the 74th Hunger Games, have been reduced to mere prisoners of the Capitol. Restrained with handcuffs and nets.

The tribute parade goes off without a hitch but once the chariots begin to move away after Snow's speech, I know that I need to talk to Cato. Enobaria sees me looking at him and instantly tries to tug him away while Finnick does the same to me, pulling me towards an empty elevator and away from District two's tribute. Right before he's out of sight, he mouths something to me and I struggle to catch it.

"Roof. Later." I lip read and nod imperceptibly back at him, telling him that I've understood. His face relaxes in relief and he allows himself to be dragged to an elevator nowhere near the one I am in. The doors close and separate our eye contact, and I realise that seeing Cato is going to be much more difficult than I thought.

"I thought we'd discussed this, Grey." Finnick says as soon as we get to our floor and everyone piles off. "You and Cato? That angle isn't going to work this year." His well-meant comment rubs me the wrong way and I turn to face him defensively, speaking loudly and shocking Titus who looks like he was about to try and start a conversation with me.

"An angle, you think this is an angle?! Get with the times Finnick, I love him, okay! Don't pretend you understand because you _never_ had to kill Annie." I hear our escort Domitia gasp at my outburst but before she can scold my terrible manners I run back into the elevator, pressing the close door button multiple times. Finnick runs and tries to get to the door before it closes, but as a parting comment I scream at him.

"Leave me alone Finnick, I don't want to see you!"

As soon as I'm closed in the elevator, I burst into tears and I'm glad that no one is here to witness my breakdown. I seem to be having a lot of those lately. Knowing that Finnick is most likely on the other side of the door pressing the open door button, I quickly press one of the buttons inside so that I start to move. I don't notice that I pressed the button to the roof until the door opens and reveals a view of the night sky illuminated with lights from the Capitol. I walk out onto the roof and I hurry over to the other side, hidden from view so that no one will see me if they come off the elevator. I sit near the edge, having no fear of falling with the knowledge of the force field surrounding and _protecting_ the tributes.

I sit there quietly sniffling for a while and maybe I even rest my eyes at some point, but I sit up with a start when I hear the elevator *ding* as it announces the arrival of someone. Shuffling back into the shadows, I stay quiet.

"Dammit, I really thought she would come…" An all too familiar voice drifts over to me and I'm up in an instant, running and throwing myself into Cato's arms. He steps back in surprise but doesn't let go of me and instead grips me tighter, kissing me passionately as a welcome.

Once we split and he lowers me back onto the ground, his arms still wrapped round my waist, I free one arm and slap him hard in the face. Twice.

"What was that for?" He says indignantly, his face displaying the shock he's feeling.

"The first one was because you never called me while we were separated after the tour. And the second one is because you idiotically volunteered _again_. This would have never happened if you had just kept your silly mouth shut! I-" Cato silences me by pressing his lips against mine for the second time in a minute. He smiles softly when we pull apart and he rests his forehead against mine.

"I'm sorry." He whispers. "I'm so sorry Grey. They made me. They made me do everything. I'm so sorry."

Cato gently lifts me off the ground and carries me over to where I was hiding before, sitting down and pulling me onto his lap even when I growl in protest. He can't just walk in and have my forgiveness. My relief at him just being here has all disappeared.

"Let me explain, okay? First of all, my father wouldn't let me talk to you until you called. I spent a lot of time at the academy, but I mean you never called me either…" I sit up with a start.

"What? But I did call you! I talked to your father, and he said you would call when you had time..." His mouth drops open in shock.

"I had no idea my father was so… so." He growls. "He never even told me you called. Everyone was trying to persuade me to go back into the games. My father, my trainers, everyone said it was time to move on and win the games like I was meant to have done last year. My father even dared to say you wouldn't be reaped this year. _He promised me and he lied._"

I hug him tightly to me and we sit in each other's arms in silence after that. Neither of us had known until now how much everyone really wanted to keep us apart. We both knew that this would probably be the last time we would be able to get time alone. We would go into the games and one – or both of us – would die there. Cato gently strokes my hair and winds his fingers through it as he presses his head into the crook of my neck. I close my eyes and we both sit together, not needing to talk on our last night together. His head gets heavy after a while and I realise that he's fallen asleep like this. I smile at his gentle snoring and rub my thumb along his hand while he sleeps.

Part way through the night, Cato wakes with a start and nudges me gently. He helps me stand up and we walk to the elevator with our hands held. We go down to the fourth floor but before I can leave, Cato brings me into his arms one last time and whispers into my hair.

"I love you Grey and I will never stop loving you, even when a sword pierces my chest." I smile back and whisper a reply.

"I love you too, Cato. Forever and always. We'll find each other in the arena somehow, I know we will." And as I step out of the elevator into the silent and dark floor that houses my district, I look back to see Cato nod before the doors slide shut on him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Longest chapter yet! I felt like you all deserved it, I haven't been updating frequently lately. It's because I have my big end of year exams coming up in 2 weeks, so for the next month my updates are going to be quite slow. Thank you everyone for reviewing, but I would love if some more people reviewed! There's a new character in this chapter, Luke, courtesy of kiralol101. Once again, enjoy the chapter and I would love it if you reviewed!**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Seventeen

Grey's POV

After meeting Cato on the roof, I return to my district floor with the expression of a dog with its tail between its legs. My acting must be to a better standard than I thought, because Finnick gives me a condescending and pitying expression and doesn't even suspect that I had just returned from meeting Cato.

"I'm glad you've calmed down enough to see reason," He says, running one hand through his hair. I give a forced smile and don't reply. "The others went to bed a while ago. You should think about doing the same, we have our first day of training tomorrow."

"Oh yes, I'll get to bed _right_ away." I originally think that the sarcasm has gone over the victor's head, but he interrupts me when I start walking away.

"Look, Grey…" He begins. "I know you're still missing Cato but you're going to have to put that thought out of your mind. If it's any consolation, you probably won't see each other's deaths." I snort as I shut the bedroom door in his face; he'd been following me as I had made my way into my bedroom. I don't sleep for a long time, and instead I sit on my bed and stare at the wall, wondering what the boy from District Two was doing.

Cato's POV

It takes me a long time to get down to my floor by taking the stairs. I could have easily taken the elevator, either with or without Grey, but I was afraid the noise would disturb the rest of the tributes on my floor. For some reason I knew that they would instantly see the smile on my face that I couldn't get rid of and make the assumption of who I had secretly met minutes before. I couldn't afford that, what with Enobaria already on my case after the tribute parade. After being Clove's mentor last year, the fact that I got out of the arena "_the dishonourable way" _meant that she had it out for me every time I even spoke. My job, she had told me on the train to the Capitol, was to get my head into the game and spend my time finding my old career personality.

Oh they had tried back at home. Showing me footage of a young boy with a heart of steel that took pleasure in breaking his opponents limbs after a wrestle, only stopping when he was pulled off his victim and his laughter danced through the air. I sat through these repulsed at myself, and no matter how hard they tried I couldn't find the same pleasure in pain anymore. It was easier to just pretend, but I really wasn't a good actor. I presume sending me back into the games as a victor volunteer was their way of getting rid of me. Out of sight, out of mind _after all_.

I arrive at the door of the District Two floor with barely a raised heart rate, even after descending over twelve flights of stairs. The thought disgusted me, because I sounded like I was more monster than man now. Even normal human weaknesses were beginning to disappear from my body. I slipped through the tiny gap in the doorway that I make for myself, trying to be as quiet as possible. Unfortunately I knock a side table over with my side before even talking two steps, and an expensive sounding ornament crashes to the ground and splits into pieces. I wince into the darkness.

"Ah Cato, never particularly good at stealth were you?" A voice purrs and I have the hindsight to look towards the voice before the lights of the main room are switched on and Enobaria is standing much too close to me. We end up looking eye to eye, and she raises one eyebrow in surprise. I had recently gained the habit of refusing to make eye contact with anyone from my district team, and the former mentor despised the show of disrespect.

"Does it matter?" I spit back. "I'm going to be armed and prepared, and I want my victims to know I have them cornered."

Enobaria slowly circles me while I stand military straight, staring ahead and hoping this lecture will be over soon.

"Not bad, boy," she says, using Brutus' nickname for me. Where was Brutus, _ah yes_, most likely hiding away from me in shame. "Did you train back in two after you returned?" I sneer at the memory.

"Every day," I growl, "I wasn't allowed home until I put on all the muscle I had lost in the games." The woman cackles and grips my bicep with her hand. As she has her mouth thrown open I get a good view of her pointed teeth, a purposeful move to unnerve me. It doesn't work but I tense my arm so she can have what she wants, proof that I have put the muscle back on.

"Are you finished?" I say through gritted teeth after another minute of her inspection.

"Yes, you're free to go. And by go, I mean _to bed_. If I find out you go to visit your little friend again like tonight, maybe my knife will slip in the bloodbath and she'll be the first one dead." She giggles and I growl as I walk away from her towards my room. I'm not surprised that she found out I met Grey tonight, because I know that Enobaria has connections everywhere in this building.

"Don't you _dare_ touch her," I hiss on my way down the hall. Enobaria follows a step behind and I hope she can feel the hatred emanating off me in warning.

"Oh by the way Cato," She says sweetly, causing me to stop, "Brynn wanted to talk to you." I turn back to face the woman with a look of partially hidden confusion on my face.

"What? Who the hell is Brynn?"

"Ugh, _your district partner_! Just forget about it, you'll see her tomorrow, but at least learn their names for Panem's sake." Enobaria rolls her eyes when I shrug my shoulders and sneer at her as I slam the door in her face. She calls out a sarcastic "Good night" before locking my door from the outside, leaving me trapped inside, which fittingly was exactly how I felt.

Grey's POV

My sleep is disturbed all night from the sound of Capitol citizens screaming in delight about the new batch of tributes. I give up on the idea of sleep several hours before I'm wanted for breakfast on the first day of training, but I decide that I might as well get started now. Not unexpectedly, when I come out into the main room, showered and already in my training uniform, I'm met with Titus in the same position as me.

"Hello." He says coolly. Titus and I had been distant basically ever since I returned back to District Four, and it was taking a big toll on our friendship. I wanted _Cato_, not him, and that strained his good cheer. The dark haired tribute is sitting on one of the chairs at the empty table and I go to join him, sitting down right next to him.

"Hi" is my quiet reply, and Titus turns his head sceptically to look at me.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asks and I nod, giving him the ghost of a smile.

"Those silly Capitol people couldn't keep their mouths shut for even a second!" I exclaim and he lets out a laugh. For a second it almost feels like we shared a joke together.

"You came in late after the parade last night." He states. "Finnick told me you met Cato on the roof, he came out here in the middle of the night too." Titus' comment doesn't sound like he is blaming me, but my reply still comes out defensive. _How did Finnick even know I had seen Cato? I guess he chose to ignore it. He's better than I thought._

"What does it matter if I _did_ see Cato? He is my boyfriend." Titus sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"I know, and I understand more than most people how hard it is for you to be forbidden to see him. But I'm trying to just be a good friend here. You know what? Just forget about it. Let's have something to eat; you have to admit this Capitol food is pretty great!" We both laugh and the tension about Cato quickly fades.

However as I'm looking over the food options, commenting to Titus about the particularly strange ones that neither of us have heard of or have enough guts to try, I get an unexplainable headache all of a sudden. Titus catches my look of discomfort and leans towards me with a concerned expression.

"Are you alright Grey?" He asks gently, and I nod my head vigorously.

"Yeah yeah, it's fine. I'm probably just tired." The pain fades away once both Titus and I have told the Avoxes at our side what we want to eat, but when the meal comes I suddenly feel ill and get to my feet quickly.

"I just… I'll be back." I say hurriedly before rushing to my room. I barely make it to my bedroom before I am sick in the nearest piece of furniture, but luckily it's the sink. I stare at my reflection in the mirror in confusion, mentally asking the equally confused person in the mirror what on earth is wrong with me. I think back to the last… no, I can't be. I shake the thought out of my head just as Titus pokes his head around the door.

"You all right in here- oh my Panem Grey, what happened?" He is instantly at my side, rubbing my back gently. I don't feel sick anymore, but it feels nice to have him as my familiar old friend again.

"It was weird, I don't know what happened! Stupid rich Capitol food I guess." I say to Titus' unconvinced expression.

"But Grey," he comments, "You didn't even eat dinner last night, you were with Cato when we ate…" His eyes suddenly go wide and I instantly speak to stop him continuing.

"That's what it is, I must have just been _really_ hungry. Come on let's go back, I need to get some food into my system!" Titus opens his mouth to say something but I rush into the hall before he can say anything. Our meals are ready when I step into the main room, and we both sit down in silence, neither of us willing to talk about what just happened.

Titus and I are sitting watching a recap of the reapings when Finnick and Caria wake up and slowly get ready a couple of hours later. I had missed districts three to twelve after all, and I needed to at least recognise who was a career and who could be allied with. Titus gives me strange looks every once and a while, asking how I'm feeling, but when I tell him that I'm fine and to shut it the third time he asks, he doesn't mention it again.

We all go down to the training center together – a few minutes late because of Finnick's _grooming routine_ – and the speech I got last year about how many ways we could get killed in the arena has already begun. The tributes from District One stare at me and whisper to each other but the District Two tributes stay stoically looking at the trainer who is speaking. Cato catches my eye for an instant but he quickly looks away and I know that he plans on following his idea to not interact with me at all if possible.

Since we have no mentors this year, Finnick is the only one who can tell us which stations to visit. He sends Titus to the sword station which is close to the hand-to-hand combat station, both of his best abilities. Caria lets out that she is reasonable with a bow and arrow so Finnick tells her to go there first.

"What are you going to do Finnick?" I ask him once the other two have gone, leaving us on our own as all the tributes begin to practice.

"I'm going to go up there" He points to the mezzanine floor of the training center where the gamemaker and sponsors are watching us closely "and try and get us sponsors. Since there is going to be no one here during the games to get us sponsors, I need to make an impression now." I ask the question that had been bothering me ever since I found out we had no mentor.

"Where's Mags this year?"

Finnick frowns.

"She didn't want anything to do with a game that sent in perfectly good people that had already been through it once. But enough about that, I'm sure I can get us some sponsors quite quickly." He winks and I grin at him before asking, "So Mister Odair, which station am I starting at?"

"Well," The supposed sex god begins, "You got a lot of good training in with Clove last year with your knife skills, and if you were anyone else I would send you there. But… that's awfully close to sword fighting and I really don't want you near Cato right now." I open my mouth in shock.

"You mean I can't do what I'm good at because you don't trust my self-restraint?!" I exclaim. Finnick flings his hands up defensively.

"I didn't say _that_. Just give it a few hours at least. I know you're good with plant recognition, you did that last year too, so I don't think you need any more practice at that. How 'bout you go to knot tying, we'll need that skill!" I sneer and shrug at my old mentor.

"Whatever. _Knot tying_ it is!" I say sarcastically before heading to the station.

Obviously there is no one else at the knot tying station, and I plunk myself down on the ground muttering about the indecencies of Finnick. The trainer wisely stays far away from me.

"Stupid Finnick… telling me I can't practice with knives… can't trust me with Cato…injustices…" I mutter to myself as I make a knot without even looking at the rope in my hands. I had been making knots basically since I was born; knot tying was a quickly acquired skill in District Four.

I don't even notice I've made a miniature noose until a voice laughs from behind me.

"Not having fun there, are you?" The voice says and I turn around just as the boy who had spoken sits down beside me. He's awfully close and I have the urge to move away from him.

"I can do this in my sleep." I grumble, throwing the knot down. The boy picks it up and inspects it. He has shaggy brown hair that nearly covers his eyes and there is a certain twinkle in them that reminds me of Finnick.

He laughs and his mouth spreads into a wide grin.

"Why are you still at the station then? I'm Lucas by the way, but you can call me Luke! District Nine." He sticks out his hand for me to shake, and I tentatively take it, my grumpy mood temporarily gone.

"I'm Grey, District Four. Last year's victor with Cato?" I question to see if he knows about me and he nods, gesturing for me to continue. "I was told to stay away from the knife station, my forte, because Cato's at the adjoining station." I sigh and Luke looks over to where Cato is swinging his sword around expertly, grunting at every hit of the dummy.

"He's the grunting one, right?" Luke says with laughter in his eyes, and I nod with a smirk.

"That's him. But we can't see each other anymore, because well, you know. Fight to the death and all." He nods and for the first time actually looks serious.

"It's probably not a consolidation, but if you wanted, we could form an alliance together. I'm pretty pro with the scythe." He must see my confused expression, because he makes hand movements as he pretends to wield his special weapon. From what I get from his acting, it's a long stick with some sort of curved blade at the end.

"How come you aren't at the …scythe station?" I ask him. He laughs.

"Well for one my mentor told me not to show all my secrets on the first day! But truthfully they actually don't even have the weapon here. It's sort of special to District Nine and Eleven. What with our industry being grain and all. But that's okay; I'll train with the sword one of these days, when your boyfriend stops hogging the station." I laugh at him and realise that I really like this kid.

"You'll be waiting a while if you're waiting for Cato to stop playing with his sword!" I say grinning. "You know Luke I think I'm going to take you up on that offer. You'd make a great ally."

"Great! To be entirely honest, the other tributes from my district are a little weird." He points out a couple of older tributes, obviously the victors, who are sitting at the camouflage station and painting their faces. "Those are the morphlings. They haven't told me their names and I don't plan on asking. They freak me out a little, because I mean, I don't want to turn out like that." I nod in agreement and he points to a girl standing on her own. "And that's _Peyton._ She never talks. I tried to get to know her but all I managed to get her to say was that she was good with hammers. My attempt to make a district alliance with her fell pretty flat." I look curiously at the girl with short, jagged blonde hair as she stands in the corner of the room with her arms folded moodily.

Luke gets sick of the knot tying station barely a minute later. He can't even do a simple knot, but his excuse is that since he's allied with me, only one person needs to know the knots. I shrug and laugh at him, and we move onto the next station. Over the next hour we go to wresting (a bad idea) and the gauntlet, where I stand staring at it for a good few minutes thinking about going on the gauntlet with Cato last year. Luke gives me space and goes on his own, eventually returning and giving me a pat on the back, suggesting we move on.

We pass Finnick at the trident station and I introduce Luke to him. Their personalities are quite similar but they instantly get along rather than fight for dominance. Finnick starts explaining to Luke how to wield his prized weapon but when I attempt to lift one lying on the ground I can barely keep it balanced, let alone throw it accurately, so I walk off and leave the two of them to practice.

I pass Caria at the bow and arrow station, and she is having an in depth conversation with Katniss from Twelve. They are both holding a bow and smiling about something, so I hope that we have another ally in our group. Beside her stands Haymitch and the boy I remember as Rory, who I learned was Gale's younger brother. Haymitch is watching while Rory fires arrow after arrow, and he is actually reasonably good. The drunken victor gives me a thumbs-up and I keep moving.

Alone and bored, I sit myself down on a chair close to the knife throwing station. The station is completely full, as most of the smaller tributes flock there because the knives are the easiest to throw, but the female careers usually take a liking to them too, so I'm left waiting until someone moves on. I amuse myself by watching Titus, who was practicing with swords as far away as he could get from Cato, who was pouring sweat and looking furious at each of the dummies he decapitated.

A few minutes later however, Cato calls out to Titus.

"Hey four, yeah you with the sword, get over here!" He calls out and Titus tentatively moves closer. I sit up and strain to hear what they are saying.

"What is it Cato?" Titus says calmly, probably remembering the fishing trip they had last time they met. I want to call out a warning that Cato shouldn't be messed with in training, but that would probably make the situation worse, so I watch with dread as Cato asks Titus for a sword fight. Titus instantly raises one eyebrow and gently tells the blonde victor that tributes can't fight one another, and I can hear Cato growl in irritation from all the way over here.

Titus must get the attention of the trainer at the sword station, because they put their hand gently on Cato's arm, at least it looked gentle but when Cato tries to pull his arm roughly out of their grip, the hand stays clamped. The trainer whispers something in Cato's ear and Cato sneers, looking annoyed at the ground. When the trainer lets go of him, he throws the sword on the ground and storms off away from the station, ending up sparring angrily with a trainer at the hand to hand combat station. I watch him go, wanting to comfort him but knowing that it's a bad idea.

I sit there for another few minutes when I am interrupted by Luke.

"Wow, your boyfriend isn't someone to be messed with, is he?" I don't make eye contact with him as he sits down on the bench beside me, but I answer.

"He was fine last night, but suddenly when everyone's watching he turns into _this_."

"You shouldn't judge him; you don't know what his district partners are telling him. To me he looks like a trapped animal with nowhere else to go." Luke pauses for a second letting his words sink in, but when I make no move to reply this time, he softly says, "Come on, there's space at the knife station now."


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: Thanks to all the reviewers and readers who are sticking with me as I slowly update! I have seven 3-hour exams over the next few weeks and they're really important, so this story comes lower in terms of priority. But I love reading everyone's reviews, and if you're not normally a reviewer, I would appreciate if you did just give me a quick idea of what you think of the story. Without further ado, enjoy this chapter!**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Eighteen

Grey's POV

It was the morning of the games and although none of the District Four tributes had wanted to watch Caesar Flickerman's pregame broadcast, that's where we all ended up by midmorning.

Everyone had come together on the long couch to watch the final comments about the tributes and the possible outcomes of the games from the colourful-wigged Capitolite. I sat sandwiched between Titus and Finnick, with Caria sitting on the other side of Titus with our escort Domitia. Our prep teams had decided to say their goodbyes the night before rather than risk "a tearful encounter where our makeup is sure to run!" so we were left watching on our own.

Caesar had been talking for a time already, explaining to those who had somehow slept under a rock and only now realised that the games were beginning, the rules and regulations of this particular Quarter Quell. Now he was onto the interesting bit, sharing his opinion of the tributes with this year's gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee. What Caesar said here – although the allegations had been denied every time someone put them out – did in fact decide how many sponsors you were going to receive. If Caesar Flickerman thought you were worthless, you had no worth.

I looked to the screen where Caesar was just beginning to speak.

"**Hello people of the Capitol, it's time for the segment you have all been waiting for, where I give my last thoughts on the tributes of the games before they are sent into the arena. This is Panem TV!" **From beside me, Titus sneers and mutters something under his breath about being an "ungrateful Capitol citizen" and when I look towards him he mutters an apology. Titus had changed a lot from the trained and eager student in District Four, now anything about the upcoming games made him annoyed. He had been as brainwashed as Cato and the rest of last year's careers, thinking that the games would give him the pride that nothing else could.

"**I think we are all looking forward to this year's games, especially because of the twist with the Quarter Quell." **Plutarch joins in the conversation and the two men banter for a while about the twist in the games, and how it might be seen as cruel to send victors back in.

"You think?" I don't realise I've spoken out loud until Finnick laughs loudly.

"There are quite a few tributes that would disagree with you sweetheart," he comments, "Namely Gloss and Cashmere from One and Enobaria from Two. We'll have to steer clear of them in the beginning if we want any chance."

"Is that why we're letting them take over the cornucopia and just running with as much as we can carry?" Titus asks grumpily, folding his arms and reminding us that he had been the one to suggest staying and fighting for the large structure.

"These games aren't just about fighting, Titus. It's a giant game-board where strategy is just as important." Finnick says to the irritated teenage boy, and Titus nods and relaxes slightly. I place my hand on his knee gently in comfort, and we make quick eye contact before he looks away.

"Everyone, they're talking about the tributes now," Caria interrupts the tense moment and we all turn our attention back to the screen, leaning forward slightly while Domitia inspects her nails pretending not to be listening as much as we are.

"**But didn't last year's victor, Cato, surprise you in his interview earlier this evening? I'm sure none of us were expecting the subdued young man that sat before me during his time in the chair." **I gasp at Caesar's comment, drawing attention to anything except Cato's strength was going to mean a loss of sponsors. But the comment was true, as the interviews last night had revealed an uncharacteristically quiet young man in the place of the bloodthirsty tribute from last year. He barely spoke, only giving short answers and staring blankly, as if his mind was somewhere else entirely.

"That was a risky move to pull," Finnick murmurs as the screen cuts to a clip of Cato's interview, and my heart tugs as I see how upset he looks.

"Has he spoken to you, Grey?" Someone asks and I shake my head, still watching the screen. I hadn't said anything to him since that night on the roof, and since then there had been no interactions between the two of us. "No, I haven't seen him."

"Enobaria doesn't trust him at all, in the mood he's in he is completely unpredictable and that's dangerous for her. For all we know he could kill the careers while they sleep and then join us, or he could regain his old feelings and do the opposite." Finnick thinks aloud and I decide not to mention Cato's comment of how he was going to find me in the arena no matter what it took. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered what he planned to do once he found me: kill me or save me. But I continued to hold onto the strand of hope that the love we had found hadn't disappeared.

"**We'll just see if it hinders his performance in the games in any way. It looks like the non-victor careers are going to run the show this year. Weren't you surprised when Kaine from District One blatantly admitted that he had no interest in joining the careers?" **The biggest shock of the whole interviews had indeed been when Kaine, "the red headed devil" as they called him, had admitted that he had no interest in joining the careers and was instead forming a new alliance, the beta careers.

"I don't remember this much stress being put on the alliances in the past years…" Caria said, looking at Finnick for confirmation.

"No," the bronze haired man replied, "Normally the alliances aren't revealed until the games, but what with Cato and Grey being in separate teams this year, the Capitol is a lot more interested. This is the first time there have been separate career groups for as long as I can remember though." Throughout training, the tributes had been split into distinguishable groups, and I figured that they would stay the same through the games as well. The victors of the career districts – minus District Four of course – formed a pack but seemed to suffer a bump to their ego when none of the other tributes had even asked to join. The only person Enobaria – the obvious leader – had found to join her alliance of Gloss, Cashmere and Cato was Brynn, the non-victor from District Two who looked like she could barely do anything beyond holding onto Cato's arm.

The refusal of Kaine had been another notch down for them. Kaine had recruited Litty and Target, the remaining non-victors from the first two districts, and as a three they made a very tight-knit and still dangerous pack. Using our experience and skills, we as a district had managed to get an alliance of ourselves together. All of District Twelve's tributes had been happy to join us, and their skills weren't half bad either.

Luke had joined on the first day of training, but his district partner Peyton had refused any attempts at a friendship or safety in the games. He had jumped between the stations more than anyone else I had seen, but spent the most time at the bow and arrow station after being shoved over by an irate Cato when he ventured too close to the sword fighting station.

The only problem for all of us was going to be getting any weapons, especially if our master plan was to run and find water. That's why Finnick had come up with two plans. Though he wouldn't admit it, it was basically Plan 'Keep Grey away from Cato while still getting weapons.' Haymitch and Rory from Twelve had agreed to stay away from the fighting in order to get me away, carrying me kicking and screaming if necessary I presumed. If Cato appeared, they were to stun him enough to allow us to get away, but no one suggested killing my still half boyfriend. While this was happening, the rest of our alliance would run into the cornucopia and try to salvage as many weapons as they possibly could before making a run for it and joining me and the two boys from Twelve. Finnick's theory was that the tributes would be so involved in fighting each other that they would be caught by surprise when we all showed up.

Even though our alliance was bigger than the two career alliances put together, I was still sceptical about how we were going to get all our desired weapons out of the cornucopia. I expected there would be a few casualties, and not just from the careers side.

The Capitol broadcast finishes quietly with Caesar wishing the tributes good luck, but no one is really watching anymore. I had completely missed his comments about me and the rest of our alliance, but I guess we would find out when we started receiving sponsor gifts, or a lack of.

"I think it's time to go everyone." Finnick says quietly, and Domitia ruins the moment by standing up and teetering away on her heels, loudly commenting that we are going to be late if we aren't careful. Finnick opens his arms to us and the four tributes of District Four come together in a last embrace, heads tucked against each other.

The journey to the arena on the hovercraft doesn't take very long at all. Unlike last time, where I was nervously planning a survival plan, this time it's different and I'm ready for whatever my fate is. Whether through good luck or careful planning, Cato is strapped into the seat beside me, and Enobaria is nowhere to be seen, most likely at the other end of the hovercraft. No words are spoken between us at the beginning, but as the craft rises into the sky, his hand slips over and he tightly grips my fingers. It's more of a signal of friendship than anything else, but to me it means that he has a plan. Gloss, who is seated opposite us, gives Cato a harsh glare and his hand falls away.

When the peacekeeper comes past to inject our trackers – though for the victors they purely reactivate the one still in our arm from the years before – I again ask what they do and whether it's healthy to have them kept in our arms even if we win.

"It stops unnecessary bodily functions while in the arena, due to a release of hormones," The peacekeeper answers robotically, "But if you happen to come out of the arena, it is switched off and there is no long term damage." The way the man says it is without any conviction, as if the very idea that I will make it out is impossible.

"Couldn't you just smash it?" Cato says, his voice sounding loud in the quiet hovercraft. The peacekeeper gives him a glare before answering, and I know it's a warning of what would happen if he did break his own tracker.

"It is a possibility, but I am certain the force required would break your arm. And seeing as that is your strong arm, I suggest you refrain from doing so." Cato's gaze drops to his arm, where the tracker that has been reactivated has just stopped blinking, and the peacekeeper moves on.

"It's not worth it Cato." I whisper quietly, feeling his distraught emotions that are making him doubt whether he would even want a working arm if it meant the tracker stayed in. "You have to play by their rules if you want to win."

"Winning is nothing without you." His answer is instantaneous, as if he has repeated it numerous times, and from across the aisle Gloss tenses up.

"Go back home Cato," I continue to try and persuade him, "Don't you want to go back to Lux and Seb? I don't have anything now that Titus is here too. I'll just be another one of the casualties, but you're the victor they really want." He shakes his blonde head adamantly, and he turns his back to me by shifting in his seat. I gently place my hand on his now-revealed back, feeling his body heaving. It reminds me of the short amount of time we had together during the victory tour where I felt his body heaving over me, and I cringe at the thought of how this may be the last time we see each other alive.

"I love you." I whisper gently to him, not trying to make him feel bad but trying to leave him with a phrase that is worth something. There's no reply for a second, but the way his back relaxes tells me he has heard. At least now he knows that no matter what happens in this arena, I'll still have all the love in the world for him.

"I love you too." He suddenly says loudly, turning back to face me and giving a glare to Gloss while he does so. Gloss' face stays cold, but there's a look in his eyes that says Enobaria is soon going to know about this and she will not be pleased.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Thank you everyone for the reviews! I loved reading them and seeing what you thought about the story, so I decided to get writing and get a chapter out earlier than I originally intended. So many exams right now... Anyway, enjoy this chapter! You'll start to see the tributes' personalities a bit more now.**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Nineteen

Grey's POV

There's a collective murmur of confusion when the pedestals rise up into the arena, giving the tributes a first look of the arena where 23 of us will die, because it's the exact same arena as last year. I even except to see bloodstains on the ground that still remain from the year before. Instead of focusing their gazes on the cornucopia and the weapons housed inside, everyone looks wildly from side to side, as if expecting the conditions to suddenly change and leave us on a snowy mountain or in the middle of a desert. I find Finnick's eyes out of habit – surely he would know what to do – but he merely shakes his head at me and mouths, "I don't like this."

My gaze flicks to each tribute in turn: there are those who are staring at the area behind them in preparation to run as soon as they can, the careers that look between themselves in well-hidden confusion, and Titus in a running position with his foot poised to step off his pedestal as soon as he can. Haymitch is nearby, watching me out of the corner of his vision. Cato is blatantly staring at me, his arms folded defiantly with not even a glance at the beautifully crafted swords in the cornucopia. Enobaria and Gloss have somehow ended up on either side of them and a look passes between them while looking at the stubborn victor, trying to use his refusal to fight to their advantage.

The sound announcing the beginning of the quell catches everyone by surprise and without thinking I begin to run. Except I run towards the cornucopia instead of away from it, my eyes focused towards a sheath that holds numerous knives that is hanging off a large crate. I can hear someone screaming at me to come back, but I don't bother turning around to see who the voice belongs to. I half expect someone to tackle me from the side – possibly Finnick or Titus – but no one does and surprisingly I reach the knives without suffering any harm.

There's the sound of heavy breathing approaching the entrance of the structure where I am standing, partly hidden from the other tributes, and I hold one knife in my hand, grasping for a backpack and preparing to run when my attacker is distracted. Suddenly Cato comes sprinting in and he reaches the back wall of the cornucopia, leaning against it and breathing heavily as he pulls a blade from the wall and swings it experimentally. He looks up after deciding it's adequate but he freezes when he sees me.

"No, no, no!" He screeches, and I take a step back in shock at his words. He brings his arm back and throws his sword like a spear, and I instinctively drop to the ground before it can hit me. There's the boom of a cannon and I peer behind me, seeing a slender figure fall to the ground. I stare with my mouth open for a couple of seconds, scanning my memory to try and remember who this is, and it hits me like a ton of bricks. Cato has just killed Cashmere, his ally.

"It's _you_ again!" Someone screams and I cringe as I see the hulking figure of Enobaria standing above me, and I scuttle backwards wondering why Titus and the others haven't arrived at the cornucopia yet. Had they all decided to run instead, thinking it was too dangerous in the thick of the bloodbath?

Enobaria must see Cashmere's limp body because she gasps and her gaze immediately shoots to Cato, who is standing weapon-less beside me – his blade still protruding from his victim – as if about to pull me to a standing position.

"Cato, you did this?" She asks, looking genuinely shocked for the first time, "What did Cashmere ever do to you? She is your ally!" The blonde says nothing and Enobaria's shock turns to anger and she takes a step towards him, ignoring me, as she punches him hard in the face. It sends Cato stumbling and falling backwards, straight into a spear standing vertical from the ground. I let out a gasp, thinking he's impaled himself on it because I suddenly see blood splatter onto the ground underneath him, but I realise quickly that the weapon has only scraped – albeit deeply – up the side of his body, tearing some of his shirt.

Cato makes eye contact with me and his expression is mostly empty, but I can tell inside he's screaming at me to run. My boots scuffle on the ground as I manage to get into a standing position and I make a run for it, a knife in one hand and the backpack I had grabbed in the other, with my sheath of knives thrown quickly around my hips. I don't look back and I pray that Cato will be okay.

I am quickly forced to a stop when I realise that there is an unusual silence in the clearing and it becomes apparent why Enobaria went to the cornucopia entrance in the first place; the "beta careers" have forced them there.

The three young careers have all managed to find weapons and are now prowling the area. There are a few motionless bodies scattered around but other than that there is no movement, let alone the typical fighting. I quickly realise that I'm out in the open standing only a few meters away from Kaine and I know it won't be long before he turns around to survey the area and he sees me. The rest of the tributes must have made a run for it and I will my frozen legs to do the same.

"Hey look, it's Cato's _girlfriend_." There's a gruff voice from behind me and suddenly I am shoved the distance between Kaine and I and the force sends me sprawling. The red haired tribute looks down his nose at me and smirks, and as I try and get up I feel a foot pressed down on my back.

"Well, well, well," he purrs, "Look who came straight to us. That was a little too easy wasn't it, girlie?"

"Don't call me that." I hiss, as my head is pressed to the ground so all I can see is his boots positioned close to my head.

"I don't think you're in the position to negotiate, _girlie_."

There's the sound of soft approaching footsteps and the newcomer starts talking.

"Kaine, there's no one here now. Those other careers left a while ago by the looks of it. They lost one of their own though, the District One chick." It's the tough-looking girl from One talking, and I can only assume that means the quiet one – Target – is the force on my back. "What are you going to do with this?" At 'this' I feel a prod in my ribs, and I know she's kicked me with her boot.

"Be patient, I'm thinking about it," comes Kaine's irritated reply. He's obviously the leader here, and the one I'm going to have to grease up if I want to get away unharmed. He reminds me a little bit of the old career Cato, and I use that knowledge to my advantage.

"I could be helpful to your alliance you know." I begin, but I am quickly interrupted.

"We have a knife thrower already." Litty says icily, and although I can't see higher than her knees from my spot on the ground, I remember seeing that she had a belt similar to mine around her hips earlier.

"I meant for a different reason." I reply with equal malice behind my words. I hear, "Kay, let's just kill her now!" before a voice speaks and puts us all into silence.

"Quiet. She has a point, we could use her." It's Target speaking for the first time, and suddenly I'm dragged up off the ground into a standing position.

Kaine is standing with a look of slight interest on his face, his arms folded and his posture relaxed. Litty has lost interest and is prodding each dead body with her foot, either for fun or to identify them. I take a step back instinctively at the action and a hand instantly wraps around my arm; obviously Target is much more intelligent than his quiet demeanour reveals. Kaine speaks.

"Cato wants to hold you, Enobaria wants to kill you, and your large alliance will most likely want you back with them. All the more reason at least one of those people will come here and attempt to retrieve you. I didn't think I would be using bait so early in the game, but it can't hurt. Target, get some rope and get her to the cornucopia. I'll deal with her soon."

Target man-handles me all the way to the cornucopia, basically shoving me at every step. He picks up a piece of coiled rope on the way and when I'm inside the cornucopia it only takes a second to remove my weapons and tie my wrists and ankles together. I overhear a conversation between the two District One tributes while Target is silently tying the knots. Someone paid attention in the knot tying station.

"There were only _three_ deaths Kaine, two from Three and one from Twelve. That's not good."

"It was because of that giant alliance; they didn't come into the bloodbath to fight, they were smart and left as soon as they got the weapons they wanted."

"This is all because we split from Enobaria's team…"

"It's not! And if I hear you say that again, you'll be the forth one dead in this arena."

Target stands up and leaves as Kaine comes stomping in, and I stay seated where I am without acknowledging his presence. My gaze has instead fallen on the spear that grazed Cato and the splash of blood on the dirt below. Kaine approaches me and peers down, thinking that I'm staring at the spear and planning my escape.

"I know you could easily cut the ropes," He says gruffly, "But it's mostly for show. This is all going to be over in a few days anyway. Worst quell ever." He groans and sits down next to me, causing me to shift away. In doing so, I reveal the blood stain, and Kaine raises an eyebrow at me. When I don't immediately reveal a bleeding wound to him, he questions who it's from.

"Someone out there already hurt, huh?" He ponders when I don't answer, and he peers at my expression, trying to gauge who it is. I try to shield my emotions from him but it must be obvious because after a few seconds he smirks.

"Cato." He says with a laugh, and I instantly look away, wondering how he knew. "You just told me with your reaction."

"Leave me alone." I growl, looking out of the cornucopia and away from Kaine's black eyes.

"Oh no, we're just getting started here."

Cato's POV

I sit furiously on a large overturned tree-trunk as Enobaria and Gloss stand in front of me. If I am furious, they are _livid._ I can feel the beginnings of a black eye and the new cut above my left eyebrow is starting to ooze blood. Gloss had gotten a few punches at me before Enobaria had managed to pull him off, furious and mourning through his anger that I had killed his twin sister. "_Why kill her and not both of us, it sure feels like it!"_ He had screamed at me in the midst of the attack.

We were at a stalemate now. Enobaria had been the one to drag me away from the cornucopia and into the forest, with Gloss carrying bags and weapons behind us. I had called out for Grey as long as I could, until Enobaria had threatened to throw a knife into her head herself if I wasn't silent. Grey hadn't heard me at all; she was probably too petrified to hear anything other than what those _rats_ were telling her. Gloss had seemed at least slightly sympathetic, tugging me by my jacket sleeve away from the clearing. That was of course before he had found out the reason why his sister hadn't followed us into the forest. And now here we were nursing bleeding noses and bruised knuckles, our chests angrily heaving from the exertion of fighting each other. Stalemate.

"I knew this wasn't a good idea." Gloss hissed, running his fingers through his blonde hair and attempting to cover the bald patch where I had ripped out a chunk.

"Brutus told me to take him into the alliance before we left Two. He said it would be a good idea, that he would fight for us and be a strong tribute," the District Two victor growls in reply as if I'm not sitting in front of them.

"Are you absolutely finished?" I hiss back, staring murderously at a tree beyond the two tributes in front of me. Gloss looks like he's going to start a whole new argument, but Enobaria silences him with a look.

"Yes we are, Cato. We all need to calm down. We can't go hunting tributes if all we want to do is hunt each other."

"I want to go and rescue Grey."

"Don't even speak of her here boy," Gloss warns, "But if it's any consolation, from the way it's looking we aren't going to be the ones to kill her."

Third Person POV – Finnick's Alliance

"How could you let her out of your sight?!" Finnick hisses, stalking around their makeshift campsite. Their plan had worked perfectly and each of them now had a backpack and their chosen weapon. Even Luke had managed to find a scythe, a weapon that none of the others had even seen before. But the humour about that was short-lived when they realised they were missing someone.

"I had other things to worry about!" Haymitch growls back, his temper rising. "If you hadn't noticed, we lost one of our own too!" Katniss and Rory look around uncomfortably at the mention of the death of one of them.

"Finnick, calm down," Titus speaks up, holding a sword tightly in one hand. He hadn't let go of it since the cornucopia. "She might be safe with Cato, we have no idea." Finnick pauses for a second but begins his pacing again a moment later.

"No, I'm sure she isn't. Last I saw of her, she was going _into_ the cornucopia. Enobaria and the others left quite quickly after Cashmere died." He said, thinking about how he saw the District One female fall as he ran into the forest.

"We're going in circles. Can we just say it? _Kaine and his allies have Grey._" Luke's comment does nothing except produce another large argument.

"There haven't been any cannons, so they have to have a purpose for her. I think she's bait for us – and Cato of course." Titus comments.

"We can't just walk into a trap…" Katniss argues, "Even if it _is_ for Grey. At least not all of us, we need to be strategic." There's a murmur of agreement around the group.

"That's it then," Finnick says, stopping and staring at each of them in turn, "We're beating them at their own game and rescuing Grey!"

Some distance away from the group, by a source of water, a parachute gently comes floating down. There's no one to receive it, but it opens on its own as if it has a timer mechanism. No one is there to see the dark shadow with the red eyes slither out, and no one is there to see the note left in the bottom of the canister.

_May the odds be _ever_ in your favour._


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: Hey look, it's a new chapter! I wasn't actually going to post this tonight because up until about an hour ago I couldn't get past a particular point in this chapter. But my good friend RoseMaple motivated me to keep going until I finished, and so here I am.**

**Thank you all for you reviews, they are much appreciated. I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately, I've been stressed with exams (you wouldn't want to write either after the English exam I had!), but I'll try and keep writing for all of you readers. :) Now without further ado, enjoy Chapter Twenty!  
**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Twenty

Grey's POV

Night falls on our first day in the arena. To put it simply, it's nothing like what I had expected. Part of me had imagined following the plan and running off with Haymitch at the gong until we could meet up with Finnick and the crew, who would be – and hopefully are – stocked with weapons. I'd also considered that maybe Cato would sweep me off my feet during the bloodbath and carry me away to safety where we could hide until the fighting had died down. Not completely surprisingly, neither of those plans had ended up succeeding because here I was stuck in the cornucopia with none other than Kaine.

"Oi, what are you thinking about?" His voice breaks the silence and I feel the blunt end of his sword prod me in the leg. Kaine found swords just as enticing as Cato, but the similarities between the two only made me miss Cato more and like Kaine less.

"Nothing," I reply curtly. In the quickly fading daylight shining into the structure where I am imprisoned, I see my captor roll his eyes.

"You can't do this one-word-answer thing forever."

"I beg to differ," I reply sardonically and Kaine moves over to me, taking my chin roughly in one of his hands.

"Don't disrespect me," He growls, staring me down. I notice that his eyes are a steely black colour, so dark that I can't differentiate the pupil from the rest of his iris. "If you're well behaved, I might even let you stay once we kill your little boyfriend."

I scoff in reply. "What makes you think I'd _want_ to stay with you?"

If Litty hadn't entered the cornucopia at that moment I know Kaine would have slapped me, but as soon as he sees his district partner he drops his hand from my face and instantly gives her his full attention.

"I was just… getting information from the _prisoner_." Kaine says strongly, but the unexpected hesitation in his voice makes me stare at him. Litty gives him a strange look for a second before shrugging it off.

"Whatever, I don't care what you do to her. Target and I are going to hunt tributes. I would ask you to come, but you know." She gestures at me, basically saying _don't let the girl escape_ before grabbing a second knife to add to the one sticking from her jacket pocket and walking away.

"Now look what you've done. I can't even go hunting because I have to babysit _you._" He growls, watching her go until she's out of sight, walking alongside the dark hulking form of Target.

"Not my problem, you're the one who didn't kill me instantly." I shrug.

"Don't tempt me." He harshly replies, his hand moving to his sword. I ignore the threat and don't even flinch.

We sit in silence for a long time after that. Every once and a while I hear a sound coming from the forest far away and I imagine that it's Cato hunting for food, finding something to eat before falling asleep somewhere safe.

"Now I know you're thinking about something." His voice breaks the silence and although it's now too dark to see anything – we never started a fire – I can picture him sitting and staring at me as he cleans his sword. The darkness makes me feel slightly safer and it's less likely that Kaine can read my emotions, so I reply.

"Just wondering if Cato is safe."

"He's too strong to be killed off on the first night, so stop worrying." The reply is harsh, but it almost sounded like Kaine was trying to make me feel better.

"I know," I reply, "but I don't know who to root for now. There are so many people I care about in these games. I don't want anyone to die." There's a silence after I speak, and I can picture Kaine raising an eyebrow, even though all that I can see in front of me are varying shades of darkness.

"Even me?"

"No Kaine, I don't want anyone to die, and you fall under 'anyone' don't you?"

"You make it difficult to hate you," He growls after a moment of letting the idea sink into his head, "You're too pure. Who admits in the Quell that they don't want anyone to die?"

"You mean you _want_ to kill everyone?" I ask, not really shocked at his opinion. Kaine is a career after all, and he seems to have no redeeming features that Cato or the rest of the 74th careers had. There's the sound of shuffling as Kaine rearranges himself.

"Not exactly, if I died I would want Litty to win." I smile into the darkness, glad he can't see my face.

"You love her, don't you?"

"Careers don't love, they _can't_ love."

"Cato loves me." My statement seems to bounce off the walls of the cornucopia, and I can feel all cameras on us now. I wonder whether they have cameras that see in the dark, or if everyone is just staring at a blank screen now as they listen.

"Then he's not a career, is he? Just… go to sleep Grey." I hear him rummage around for a sleeping bag and a few seconds later a blanket is thrown at me. I stay quiet as I prepare to sleep, Kaine sitting up in the sleeping bag the whole time, ready to guard me for as long as it's necessary.

"Love is stronger than one hundred careers."

"Shut up." Kaine orders and the twinges of doubt in his voice make me fall asleep feeling accomplished.

Cato's POV

"What are we going to do with him?"

I quietly listened in on Enobaria and Gloss' conversation as I cleaned my sword from my vantage point a few meters away. My alliance had begun to hold tactical discussions without me, but I no longer cared what they thought. If they one day decided to get rid of me, either by death or leaving me in the forest like some _forgotten child_, it wouldn't be a burden on any of our minds.

"I'm right here, you know." I growl, including myself in the conversation for the first time. The two whip their heads quickly around to look at me, as if they had forgotten I was there while they were talking about me. "You could just let me go rescue Grey and then I would be out of your hair."

Enobaria shakes her head violently and sneers, her gold-tipped teeth shining in the moonlight.

"That girl has brought you nothing but trouble, but I am not deserting you yet. You should be thanking me, you have the capability to win this and I'm not going to let you throw it away because you're lovesick all of a sudden." I feel a furious growl make my up my throat but I manage to restrain myself from starting a full blown argument. Kaine would have most likely sent out his henchmen tonight to kill some tributes, and I didn't wish to be the first one found because I had to have a temper tantrum.

"Whatever, you're entitled to your own opinion." I grumble, and I'm about to go and lie down by a tree, settling in for the night and hopefully dreams filled with Grey's soft voice, when we all hear a sound of leaves crunching. My hand instantly finds my sword and Enobaria and Gloss do the same, instantly alert.

"You've stumbled upon the wrong camp, _tribute_." Enobaria hisses, sounding more animal-like than human. She stands up with ease and begins to circle the small clearing where we have made our temporary camp. Then suddenly we hear a small squeak.

"Enobaria?"

A shaken and tired-looking Brynn steps out from the dense foliage with her hands raised in surrender, leaves sticking out of her blonde hair. If it was Grey standing there I would have pulled her into my arms in an instant, but it's not so I merely raise my eyebrows in disgust. She instantly moves towards her female district partner who clucks in a very uncareer-like fashion.

"Are you alright Brynn? I thought we had lost you at the cornucopia, where have you been?" Brynn manages to compose herself in a couple of moments and she begins winding a long tale about how she got lost and ended up by a river. I zone out very quickly, having no interest in where this girl has been, and so I lie down with my back facing them and my sword in arm's reach.

I'm nearly asleep when Brynn finishes speaking, my mind wandering in that lovely space where I can pretend I'm with Grey back in District Twelve where we pronounced our love for the first – and most likely last – time.

"What's wrong with Cato?" Brynn's voice enters my head and I struggle in vain to block it out.

"He's not feeling like himself right now." That's Enobaria replying. "Why don't you go and lie down next to him, give him some comfort." I want to scream out that she shouldn't take another step towards me, but I'm too exhausted and for a moment I even wonder if Enobaria had slipped something in the tiny portion of food we had tonight to keep me comatose.

I hear Enobaria announce that she's going to be first watch, and the lack of a reply from Gloss tells me that he's already slipped into sleep. Maybe she drugged him too so she could kill us all. The thought quickly dissipates from my head when I feel someone begin to softly stroke my hair.

"Sleep Cato, just sleep." Brynn whispers gently to me. I fall another step further into sleep without wanting to and I'm distantly aware of Brynn leaning over me and removing my sword from its place. It's moved to somewhere out of reach and before I can sit up to retrieve it I fall fully asleep, my last thought being the realisation that Brynn has come back and lain down beside me, wrapping one arm around my chest so I am pulled closer. Ironically, I dream about Grey.

Third-Person POV – District Three Tributes

"Beetee, I'm worried," Wiress says as they come to a stop in the middle of the forest, "No one has ever attempted it to this extent before." Beetee turns to look at his district partner and he suddenly grips her shoulders with his hands.

"Trust me in that I know what I'm doing. Remember Haymitch's games twenty-five years ago? He was onto something throwing that weapon into the force-field. If we could just-"

"Yes but this is a long way off throwing a weapon. This is harnessing that energy to…" Her voice lowers to a whisper that wouldn't be picked up on any microphone, "break out."

"But we could do it!" The man says excitedly, his face spreading into a grin uncommonly seen in the Hunger Games. The woman only purses her lips.

"It's a possibility, but it would risk our lives."

"Our lives are at risk anyway."

Third-Person POV – Finnick's Camp

They are awoken by someone's screaming, much too close. Titus is standing up first, prepared for possible ambushes by years of training back in District Four. But even he is brought to his knees when he realises who it is that is crying out.

Caria sits cradling her leg, whimpering with wide eyes. By this time the rest of the camp has been woken up by the sound and they are whispering between each other, not prepared for such an act of sabotage so early in the game.

"It's a snake bite." Luke is the first one to identify the wound, gently prodding the inflamed skin around Caria's bitten ankle. She cries out again and Luke is forced to look away, very aware of the girl's imminent fate.

"Watch your shoes. It could still be around." Haymitch offers his advice but it is unwanted.

"Why would the Capitol set something like this loose on the first night?" Finnick says quietly, coming up beside the District Twelve victor as the rest of the alliance hurries around looking for a medical pack. They come up with a few bandages but from the way Caria is becoming quieter they are beginning to see that it's a fatal bite. Why would anything from the Capitol be anything but?

A few minutes of panic later, Caria lies silently with Titus holding her hand, her bitten leg elevated on Katniss' knee as she softly speaks to her. The medical kits have been put away, replaced with a few torches and the rest of the alliance sits quietly nearby, giving broken smiles to the girl when she happens to look their way. Finnick purses his lips and looks out into the darkness of the forest, wondering where Grey is. He knows she will be heartbroken when she returns and learns of Caria's death, the death of a district partner is always hard, but especially so for the girl who refuses to kill anyone this time around.

The cannon shakes them all to the core because it represents the loss of one of their own, for a reason so pointless. Titus gently lifts Caria's now motionless body and he takes it out of sight of the camp so that the hovercraft can retrieve the body. Finnick whispers, "Send her back home" into the sky as it ascends again, picturing the water burial he knows the girl would have wanted. The remaining six in the group move closer together, speaking no words and moving around with emotionless actions. The torches are switched off so their faces are bathed in darkness once again, but even once everyone has lain down on the ground, no one sleeps. That's when the tears fall.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for the lack of updates, it's a combination of exams (which just finished this afternoon!) and the fact that I'm sort of getting over this story. I'll finish it for the sake of finishing it because I'd hate to leave a story unfinished and there really aren't too many chapters to go, maybe 10 or so, but I'd really appreciate reviews now because it'd make me want to write more often for those that are still enjoying the story. **

**Anyway, sorry for the numerous POVs, I think of them as scene changes and seeing as I'm writing mostly 1st person it's impossible to show some of these parts without changing POV. Next chapter I'll try to tone it down. It's hard with everyone in completely different places! Enjoy the chapter :)**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Twenty-One

Third-Person POV – Finnick's Alliance

"Who was on watch last night? I heard two cannons at some point." Finnick states to the group the next morning as they pack up their camp in preparation to move on.

"I was, and it was the two victors from Nine." Katniss replies with the same lack of enthusiasm in her voice, and she adds "Sorry" to Luke when she realises that they were his district partners. He shrugs and makes the excuse that he didn't know them well enough to regret their deaths.

"This isn't the way these games were meant to turn out." Titus says grumpily, who had been upset all night and didn't get much sleep after Caria's death. There was no doubt it had affected him the most out of all of those in the camp, though there was a noticeable damper that made everyone feel like arguing.

"Well what did you _expect_ was going to happen?" Haymitch asks sarcastically, "Somehow all twenty-four of us would get out and we would live happily ever after? Stories like that don't exist in Panem, _kid_." Titus growls in fury and begins to stand until Finnick who was sitting next to him roughly pulls him back down.

"If Katniss is right and only seven people have died, that leaves _eighteen_ still roaming this arena. We can't start fighting between ourselves now or else this alliance is going to be over by tonight. And if we've all forgotten, Grey is still at the cornucopia." He looks each of the group in turn and they all look away shamefully.

"Then what are we waiting for, we have to go and get her!" Rory speaks up, his face brighter than all of theirs combined. "If Enobaria and her group aren't allied with Kaine and his group we have the largest alliance in this arena, we can easily get Grey back! It's like seven against three!"

There's no argument with the young boy's comment so with minimal discussion everyone begins to prepare to travel to the cornucopia, now moving with a purpose in mind. They are packed and ready to go in seconds and they begin to head in the direction they came, hoping for an easy retrieval of their friend.

Cato's POV

"Cato, what's that? Is it a tribute? Is it a mockingjay?" I growl low in my throat but the girl attached to me seems oblivious. Enobaria notices however, and she glares at me before warning "Cato…" under her breath.

"I don't know, okay? It's probably some animal. Happy?" I snap at Brynn and she looks hurt for a second before her face spreads into its overenthusiastic grin again. I attempt to tug my arm out of her grip, which was exactly what I knew the sharp-toothed woman behind me would punish me for but I was absolutely sick of this _thing_ that had been hanging off my arm since the moment we started walking.

I had fallen asleep with Brynn's arms around me – Grey was going to throw a weapon when she found _that _out – and since then it was as if she had been given the go-ahead to flirt constantly with me. I turn my head to glare at Enobaria once again but she only smiles sweetly. It was obviously her doing. Gloss was walking a little away with the look on his face of someone who was constantly being disappointed and disgusted and somehow I knew it wasn't just me annoying him anymore.

"Where are we going?" I ponder out loud, not expecting to be told. I was the embarrassment of the career alliance, after all.

"To hunt down tributes, of course!" Enobaria replies cheerfully, holding up a very menacing knife that she had been sharpening on a rock all morning. I scoff and nod, pretending that I'm an idiot to have not thought of the idea myself. It saved a lot of arguing if I just pretended to be my old career self, though now my mask wasn't fitting as well as it used to.

I'm about to slap away Brynn's straying hand when the sound of people talking hits us and everyone in our group falls still. There's too much sound for it to be Kaine and the rest of the careers and the career tributes have a way of speaking that makes them sound egotistical from a mile away, so I instantly come to the conclusion that it's Finnick and his crew.

There's no time to even form a strategy because in the next second the two groups run into each other. Both are defensive, but theirs even more so when they see Enobaria step forward with both her knife and teeth gleaming.

"Well, well, what do we have here…?" She murmurs evilly, supposedly ignoring the fact that we are very low in numbers compared to their group and shouldn't be so blasé about the impending fight. Gloss and I step back when their alliance begins to prepare their weapons, loading bows and unsheathing swords, knowing that this is something we won't be able to win. I reach for my own sword but Brynn is by my sheath and she's pressed so tightly against my side that I can't access it. I consider pushing her onto the ground to get my weapon, but a hiss of fury from the other side makes me stop and refocus.

"Y-you traitor!" Titus hisses maliciously, his voice quickly escalating to a scream as he steps towards me. "You're separated from Grey for a couple of days and you find a whore to pleasure you instead?!" Finnick growls a warning at Grey's old friend but he's on a rampage and while I'm searching for some explanation I hear a war cry and suddenly I'm being barrelled to the ground with something sharp pressed to my neck. I gasp in panic – the worst thing to do in the situation and the first lesson at the academy – and he grins nastily, relishing in my loss of power.

"Cato? Cato, help!" I manage to turn my head slightly and I see Brynn has been pulled down by my scuffle with Titus. I'm about to say something mean, but Titus beats me to it.

"Shut up." He hisses and he removes the dagger from my neck to stab the girl in the chest. There's a chilling silence for a moment – then life speeds up again and Brynn screams loudly. It is cut short when she realises that she is rapidly losing blood and oxygen, and she only manages to speak brokenly when she opens her mouth.

"Enobaria… told me to. Just wanted to… go home. Promised…" And then her cannon booms loudly and just like that there is one more added to the eight teenagers who aren't going home.

Enobaria shouts in anger, furious at losing one of her dwindling allies, and she throws her weapon into the group opposite her in anger. It hits the mark because there's a sickening sound of metal hitting skull followed instantly by the second cannon in a minute.

This time it's Katniss' turn to scream as she catches her district partner's fall from life. Rory lands glassy-eyed in her arms with the knife imbedded deep in the center of his forehead. The girl from District Twelve gapes for a couple of seconds until she goes red with fury. I realise only now that there is no more pressure on my neck, Titus having stood up and begun to advance on Enobaria like Katniss and the rest of them are doing too. I feel a rough tug on my jacket as Gloss pulls me to a standing position, not looking away from the people coming towards us.

"I think it's time to go boys." Enobaria says brightly as if she hasn't just lost one and killed another. Gloss begins to tug me backwards, holding a spear so it almost looks like I'm his hostage.

"Wait," Someone interrupts as they step forward from Finnick's group, "I want to offer Cato a place in the alliance." There's a general consensus of disagreement from everyone on his side, especially Titus who has stopped temporarily if only to refuse the idea of me joining them, but the boy who had spoken angrily glares at those around him. I don't instantly recognize the boy with the shaggy brown hair, but as he's supporting my return to the group I feel the need to trust him.

Though instead of nodding and being embraced back into their team – people who would protect and not backstab me – I shake my head.

"I… I can't." I blurt out. "I'm sorry." The looks of shock and betrayal on their faces are painful enough, but Finnick gives an imperceptible shake of his head that almost says he knew I would refuse all along which is a kick in the face. I can vaguely here Gloss telling me that we have to go, but before I go I grab what has been hanging around my neck since the beginning of the 74th Hunger Games and tug it off my neck, throwing it down on the ground in front of them.

As the three of us run off Enobaria whispers "Good choice," seemingly proud that I've stuck with her alliance. I shake my head, it wasn't my own choice. My only comfort is the fact that I saw the shaggy-haired boy pick up my token as I left and I know that as long as he has it, it will get to Grey.

Grey's POV

The two cannons within a few moments of each other startle me from my day-dreaming. I had been sitting in my usual spot inside the cornucopia, surrounded by various weapons and packs all day. Although I was being held hostage by the most dangerous tributes in the game, I felt quite safe. As long as Kaine didn't kill me, I would be protected while I stayed here.

"What are you thinking about?" _Or if Target didn't kill me first._ The young man with the shaved head had previously been staring out into the forest but now I had his full attention and he demanded to know what was on my mind.

"What is it with your alliance and my thoughts? I can't escape just by _wishing_ it, you know."

"I don't know but none of us trust you. You spend too much time thinking," Target growls back in reply. I shrug and turn my head away from him.

"If you must know, I'm thinking about the same thing I was thinking about when Kaine last asked the question – Cato." Kaine and Litty had gone out to scope the area for tributes so I had been left with Target as a 'sitter.'

"Why bother?" His voice is gruff. "He's not coming to get you, only Kaine is idiotic enough to think that."

"Cato will find me, I know he will." Target scoffs in disbelief and he looks ready to point out that my "precious boyfriend" as Kaine calls him is nowhere to be found, when he is interrupted by a sound of crunching leaves outside.

"Took you long enough Kaine, you can look after this one here from now on." Target walks out of sight to oversee the return of the rest of the pack and I wait impatiently for an expected sarcastic comment from Litty. It's strangely silent out there and I resist the urge to rise and peek out of the entrance for a few seconds until the need gets to be too strong. I walk over to the opening of the structure and as soon as I see the scene before me I start running across the clearing.

"Finnick!" I shriek as I approach my mentor. He had just finished stabbing a knife through Target's chest and when I leap at him in excitement the cannon goes off for my captor.

"Hey there, hope we didn't take too long?" Finnick teases, hugging me before Titus appears and does the same, his embrace even tighter.

"You silly girl, what did you think you were doing? You never _could_ follow instructions!" My old friend scolds me but there's a look in his eyes that tells me he isn't as serious as he could be, though he is still worried.

"I had to do something – you didn't think I would just accept going with Haymitch and…" My sentence dies away as I look around the group for Rory, but my eyes eventually find Katniss and Haymitch who are standing solemnly on the edge of the group, not joining in on the reunion.

"Oh no…" I murmur and it's all I need to say. Katniss walks up me and at this close range I can see her eyes look overcome with sorrow.

"On the way here we bumped into Enobaria. Titus killed one of them and as revenge she got Rory. It happened so fast." I hug Katniss for the loss of what seemed like one of her good friends, but the feeling doesn't go all the way to my heart, knowing that this is just the beginning of the games.

"A lot has changed, sweetheart." Haymitch says cryptically.

Kaine's POV

_She's gone. _

I growl and kick over the stand of spears. If she had been there, she would have been impaled by one of their sharp tips, but she wasn't and she isn't.

"If I didn't know any better, it would seem like you had feelings for her." Litty comments from her position out of reach by the entrance of the cornucopia. She is leaning casually against the doorframe of the structure, looking no worse for wear at the fact that we have just lost our most valuable asset.

"She was our only way of getting Cato coming straight to our door, vulnerable and looking to be the knight in shining armour. That's another step that they've gained on us!"

"Stop thinking about it like that Kaine," The dark haired girl says, her blue eyes gleaming as she approaches me, "Cato will come to us wanting blood soon enough. You don't really think that she's actually changed him, _do you?_" Her tone is accusing, as if she had read my thoughts during my earlier conversation with Grey.

"Of course not," I say moodily, "I was just irritated that we've wasted our time looking after a hostage that proved no use to us."

"Oh I wouldn't say that." Litty's voice is sly and as it runs over me I relax into her belief that everything is going to be okay. She's right next to me now and one of her hands traces up under my shirt, sending my thoughts in the direction of what would happen right now if I just-

_Pain_. I look down at myself in shock to see Litty holding up my shirt to reveal my stomach, a long dagger embedded deep into it. I groan and fall to the ground, clutching the wound. My brain struggles to come up with a plausible explanation, how – _why –_ was I suddenly dying?

"Stop thinking so hard Kaine," Litty says from above me, her image already beginning to fade. I've heard sight is one of the first senses to go prior to your death, hearing being the last. "Is it really that hard to believe?"

"Love…" I croak out, only managing part of the sentence I was trying to get out. I hear her scoff.

"Love is for cowards like them, not careers like us. Love will never get you anywhere except dead, dear Kaine. Funny that."

I hear her lean down so her mouth is right beside my ear but I can no longer see my old ally. Even my hearing is beginning to fade in and out. _How far did she push that knife of hers? _

"Sleep Kaine, sleep like little Target. Know that now it's time for the girls to play. Except I'm not playing around like you were."

* * *

The sound of the cannon is music to her ears. Kaine's body now lies deadly still between the fallen spears, his face frozen. That Grey girl had obviously gotten to him while they he was watching her, and emotions were a liability. He had to be finished before he could do any damage.

"Life goes so fast, doesn't it?" A voice says from outside the cornucopia, causing her to turn around and pull the dagger out from Kaine's heart, brandishing it ready for another killing shot.

"It's indeed a precious thing." Litty replies strongly. The newcomer is leaning casually against the cornucopia entrance, staring intently at Kaine's motionless body. The position is so much like Litty's own when she had approached her district partner only a few minutes ago that she is curious enough to lower her weapon and take a step towards them. The enemy takes an elusive step backwards.

"I don't recognize you, where have you been all this time?" Litty demands, angry but also curious to how someone has slipped under her radar so easily.

"My name is Peyton, District Nine. It seems you only notice people you want to notice, _Lightning _from District One, it's not a particularly beneficial habit in this game we're playing."

"You seem interesting," Litty begins as she holds back fury at the tribute's veiled taunts, "So I'm going to let you go. Maybe I'll even give you to the count of three to-" She holds up her dagger ready to throw it – who was she kidding, she doesn't give three second head starts – but the girl is already gone. There's nothing but silence and the sound of a faraway hovercraft coming to pick up her betrayed district partner, and she takes time wiping the blood off her dagger to hide her confusion.


	22. Chapter 22

Crowd of Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Grey's POV

Kaine's face is the most unexpected one projected onto the sky that night, though Rory's face is still the most painful. I'm the only one who feels shock and sadness when we see that the cocky boy with fiery hair has been killed – beside me Katniss merely counts him off on her fingers as she keeps track of those still left in the arena.

Since Rory's death – I had been caught up on the confrontation with Cato's group by Finnick on my return into the forest – Katniss had been unlike herself, obsessed with how many tributes remained and how we could begin killing them off. It almost seemed like Rory was her last straw, because now she spent most of her time quietly plotting at Haymitch's side.

Titus had been attached to me since I had been rescued and between him and Finnick I was never let out of their sight. Our group now had six members and so there were nearly more of us than there were remaining competitors in the arena, which served to make us feel marginally safer about our situation. Even if Enobaria appeared, only she and Gloss would be willing to fight the six of us and no career would go into a fight with those odds. And now that Litty was on her own it was more likely she would target the smaller groups before trying to get us.

For the second time that night I wondered what had caused Kaine's death. All my possibilities contained Litty in some form and for a moment I pitied the boy from District One. He would never have admitted it but I knew he felt _something_ for his district partner, and she would have gone and broken his trust – his heart – in his last moments. It seemed to me like the cruellest death so far. I pondered for a second if the Capitol would think the same way but decided they were much too unpredictable and un-empathetic to spend too long thinking about the tribute's feelings.

"That means it is Gloss, Litty, Enobaria and Cato, those two from Three, us, and Luke's district partner." I'm shaken from my thoughts when Finnick lists those still alive.

"Peyton will stay in the shadows until it's down to the last few tributes, so we don't have to worry about her, even if we do happen to bump into her." Luke speaks out. The others nod but Titus still looks sceptical.

"I don't want to count her out, that's what she wants us to think." He folds his arms and scowls.

"The kid has a point Titus, but you aren't wrong either," Haymitch interrupts as he looks towards both boys, "We need to be wary of all tributes, but we need to focus on those who are the most threatening. If we get rid of the careers the rest will be easier to handle."

I can't hold back my gasp at Haymitch's words, as it sounded like he wasn't planning to spare Cato when killing the careers. I also notice that no one mentions what is going to happen if we end up battling against _each other_. Titus looks towards me and sighs.

"There are six of us here, Grey. I know you want to save Cato, but he's just another tribute to think about. I mean, he didn't even join the alliance when we-" Finnick's "ahem" interrupts my district partner but I am on Titus in an instant.

"What? When you did _what_?!"

There's an awkward silence when no one replies, especially not Titus who is suddenly looking sheepish. Luke is the one to speak first and he has an uncharacteristically hard expression on his face when he looks towards the boy who has blown their secret.

"When we ran into the careers I offered Cato a place in our alliance. He declined and I _wanted_ to give you the news gently, but _someone_ blew it." He glares at Titus before his face turns soft as he addresses me. "He wanted you to have this."

Luke searches through the pocket of his jacket with one hand before pulling out what looks at first to be a simple chain. It's not until he places it in my open palm that I recognise it.

"Cato's token…" I murmur under my breath. Through all the time I had spent with the career tribute, I had never had the opportunity to fully inspect what he had brought with him into the arena. I had seen it various times but he had tried hard to hide it from me and once he was out of the arena the first time it must have been shoved in the back of a drawer with the hope it would not be needed again.

The token is made up of a chain long enough to go around Cato's neck with a thin sheet of metal hanging from it. Looking closer I see the District Two seal is stamped on one side and on the other a long code is neatly engraved. My face must show confusion when I look up because Finnick elaborates for all of us.

"That number is a Citizen Number. Everyone registered in Panem has one but it isn't commonly used anywhere except in Two. They use it mainly in the academy. Apparently if you know how to read them they can give you lots of information about the person – age, address, how many years they have trained…"

"So basically they give you this so they can identify your body or something?" Titus interrupts, curious about how the career system works in other districts, coming from a career academy himself.

"It's unlikely it would be used like that, but it's not an uncommon opinion. People think that the district is so used to sending off tributes, they have become numbers in their heads. I think Cato's trying to denounce that fact and prove he's human." Happy with the explanation Titus nods and lies back against the ground with his hands behind his head, and surprisingly Katniss is the one who speaks up.

"Why would he give it to Grey then?" She ponders. "Let's face it, it isn't the greatest gift if it portrays that he is just a number."

"I think he's just treating it as something to give her to show he's still thinking about her." Luke says, speaking as if I'm not sitting mere meters away. "A, '_I have nothing left to give, take me as I am_' sort of thing." Haymitch lets out a guffaw of laughter at the younger boy's words. As kind hearted as the District Two boy could be at times, I couldn't imagine those words ever coming out of his mouth either.

I chose not to share my own opinion of why Cato had given me his token. Try as I might to pretend that he had indeed given it as a last gift sort of thing I only had one thought in my mind, and it made it even more important to find him as soon as possible. _If his token means he is just a number, by giving it to me he's telling us that he's not even a number anymore – he's worthless without it. He should be the one to die so we can live._

"We need to go and find him."

No one argues with me. I figure that the others think I have either gone crazy or I just want to find Cato so that I can profess my undying love to him. I decide to let them think what they want – telling them my theory that I think he's about to sacrifice himself for me wouldn't help their opinions of my sanity.

We start travelling in the direction that Finnick "swears" they were in when we met up with the careers last time. They no doubt would have moved from their camp by now but everyone likes to have a plan to start off with before moving. Randomly travelling in the arena was a quick way to a gruesome death. At least we knew from past years – including my own – that the gamemakers could easily move you towards another tribute if they wanted to.

Our six-man alliance had only been hiking for an hour or so when I start feeling queasy. We move in a rectangular formation made up of three rows – Titus and Luke at the front, Katniss and Haymitch in the middle, and Finnick and I at the back – so when I slow down to a stop, clutching my sides in the attempt to hold in the discomfort, I catch the attention of Finnick instantly. His eyes become large when I start retching and he quickly man-handles me into a more secluded set of trees. As soon as I lose sight of the rest of the group I start throwing up and I hear Finnick call out that I'm "just using the bathroom" in an attempt to muffle the sound.

"You're not helping, Finnick." I groan when my mentor approaches me from behind and starts rubbing my back in an attempt to stop the sickness – a technique which seems to be making me feel a whole lot worse. He doesn't reply and continues with the action, and the patter of soft footfalls a few moments later tells me that someone else has approached us.

"Oh another person," I growl, "Let's just invite all the other tributes here to watch too why-don't-we?"

"It's me," Katniss' voice wafts in my ears as I bend down with my hands bracing against my knees. "I thought I might be a better helper than Finnick here, seeing as I _am_ a girl." Finnick abruptly stops and I can imagine his huff of irritation without seeing it.

It takes a few minutes for me to recover enough to stand up without wanting to collapse, and when I do I see Katniss giving me a sympathetic look while Finnick sits on the dusty forest floor close by with a very thoughtful expression on his face.

"Is this the first time you've felt like this, Grey?" He asks me, looking up from his hands and giving me his full attention. I shy away from his gaze and wring my hands together.

"No, I mean one day back in the Capitol the same thing happened but I'm sure it was just something in the food."

"There's never anything wrong with Capitol food, it's engineered to perfection. Did you ever – erm, you know – with Cato? Back on the victory tour or something?" Finnick looks very uncomfortable and my face breaks out in a blush. I know what he's implying and obviously so does Katniss because she's beginning to look at me with a more and more shocked expression.

"Once," I murmur almost unintelligibly. Not because I'm ashamed – though the look Katniss gives me almost portrays that I should be – but because I don't want my private life broadcasted all over Panem.

"Once," Finnick echoes.

"Surely someone in the Capitol could check, right?" Katniss says nervously after a second of silence. "I mean, your tracker gives them so much information, it can't be that hard." Finnick nods in agreement and then turns his head up to the top of the arena as if directing his words to the Capitol.

"Could you check and tell us, for Grey's sake?" He calls and we wait silently for a couple of minutes, expecting some sort of sign to appear.

"Nothing is coming." I say impatiently after a while, "But the others are going to be far away by now, we need to catch up. I'm obviously _not_ _pregnant_, okay?" Katniss and Finnick instantly stare at me, we hadn't been speaking in those exact terms before, keeping it vague to try and pretend it wasn't happening. Both seem eager to get away from this awkward situation though so we run to catch up with the three men who had stopped a little away to wait when they realised we weren't behind them.

After more walking – where my stomach luckily decides to stay settled – we hear the beeping of a falling parachute. There's a large 4 on it so Titus reaches up to grab it when it's in reaching distance, but once he sees it closely he hands it to me. Inspecting it myself I realise that it's got my name printed on it. Everyone gathers around as I twist it open, getting a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. I want more than anything to throw this parachute into a bush and never see its contents, but with everyone watching I feel obligated to open it.

There's a note and a bundle of cloth inside the canister but I pull out the note and read it first. The word 'Yes' is scrawled in bad handwriting, as if someone used to using screens has had to quickly write something out. I hurriedly stuff it into my jacket pocket and coincidentally it bumps against Cato's token. If the rest of my alliance were unsure of what the note meant, they certainly realise when I pull out the piece of cloth. It's a one-piece suit the size of a new-born baby and it is red and black with a small number 4 symbol on it – a tiny replica the training suit we all wore back in the Capitol. _Not only is your boyfriend in the games, but so is your baby,_ they say far away in the Capitol. Somebody gasps.

Cato's POV

"Pass the water Cato, you don't need it. Give it to your mentor." Enobaria had been in a bad mood all day. Not having the mass amount of supplies at the cornucopia like the careers had in previous years meant that apart from a meagre amount of rations in one of the backpacks, and a quickly dwindling canister of water, we were struggling to sustain ourselves. Trying to hide my growl of irritation that seemed to be a constant right now, I shove the bottle I was about to drink from at my district partner. My dry throat nearly whines in protest when Enobaria chugs down the remains of our water supply, somehow knowing there would not be any for me for a long time.

"Enobaria," Gloss scolds, "We are an alliance and though some have been more loyal than others," He looks towards me at that comment "that is no excuse to deprive them of our supplies." _Easy for you to say Gloss, you got your fill of water before Enobaria got her claws in it._

"He'll be fine, he can handle a few days of thirst, can't you Cato?" I stare furiously at the ground and clench my hands into fists to prevent myself from lashing out.

"See he's learning to control his temper now – he was always the one who couldn't control his anger – so my techniques must be working on him!" Gloss doesn't reply to the woman and after a few seconds of tense silence I growl "I'm not a test subject…"

"No, you're a career and you are making your district proud." Gloss adds, for once choosing to back up me rather than the older victor beside us. Enobaria huffs and seems as shocked as I am. The tension builds and it almost feels like we are going to fall into a fight that would make the Capitol excited for a week, when we hear the sound of a sponsor gift. I picture Brutus growling that we need to stay together until the other alliances have broken up, and I can't hold back the smirk as I imagine his look of disgust at our game playing so far.

The parachute floats down and eventually lands beside my leg, gently flashing and waiting to be looked at. It has no district label on it but I twist the cap open anyway and I am instantly washed over with the smell of freshly baked bread. Having basically lived on dried meat since I'd been in the arena, this was the most wonderful gift I could have received. Though of course it wasn't just for me – I was resistant to let Enobaria get anywhere near it but I was perfectly content sharing with Gloss. Although he had been furious with me for killing his sister in the beginning – who wouldn't be? – Enobaria's unexplainable female mood-swings had brought us tentatively back together and I trusted him a lot more than I did her.

Just as I'm about the break the bread in half, a hand pulls the loaf out of my hand and I look up to see Enobaria looking pleased with herself and already beginning to eat our gift. I gape at her, too surprised to even feel anger, and watch as she finishes off the whole thing herself.

"Men like _him_ don't deserve gifts." She says through a full mouth, unattractively spraying both Gloss and me with flecks of bread. Gloss reaches up and wipes his cheek with the back of his hand and I see that his arm is shaking in barely controlled fury.

The two of us sit with our arms folded watching Enobaria as she relaxes against a tree with a content but evil smile on her face. Suddenly she sits up with a start, gripping her neck with both hands. The woman tries to speak but cannot do anything except gasp for breath. Seconds later she keels over and a cannon sounds, startling the two of us remaining.

"What- what just happened?" I ask quietly, unsure if what I had just seen was real.

"I don't know. She can't have choked, because she had already swallowed everything. That was too fast." Gloss was staring at the woman's body now, inspecting it for signs of something else.

"What if the bread was poisoned?" I say, "What if someone in the Capitol knew she would take anything I received for herself and used that to their advantage?"

"That's never happened before – it must be against the rules!" Gloss exclaims, looking inside the canister where the bread was held for some kind of elusive note.

"Just because it never happened doesn't mean it can't."

"I suppose you're right, Cato." Gloss says, scratching his head. We were both a bit shell shocked. Enobaria's death had showed us just how quickly you could get killed off, and now we had the opinions of the Capitol to contend with. If they didn't like you for entertainment value at the least then you didn't have a chance.

"Do you think that the victor has already been decided, and that we are just waiting until we eventually get killed off by the Capitol?" I ask quietly, hoping my voice slips under the radar of microphones. "What if this is no longer a game, what if it really _is _just a planned execution of all of the most dangerous victors?"

Gloss reaches over and clamps a hand over my mouth, and in a panic I thrash against him thinking that the career alliance has finally collapsed. Promptly a knife is rammed up against my throat and Gloss moves his mouth closer to my ear, and I fall still and breathe shallowly.

"_Don't let them hear you say that._" He hisses into my ear. "_Follow along."_ Not understanding his train of thought I decide that my best course of action is to fight, so I jab my elbow into Gloss' ribs as hard as I can. He grunts in irritation but I'm the one who is in the vulnerable position so he takes advantage of that and thumps me in the stomach. I feel all the air rush from my lungs and I am unceremoniously dropped onto the ground with a thump.

"Finished?" Gloss loudly asks as he moves his body until his knee is pressed into my torso and prevents me from moving. I nod and wait for the impending knife in my neck, hoping that Grey won't be too angry with me for not trying harder.

"_You're smarter than you look, boy._" He murmurs quietly again, and suddenly I realise that he's trying to speak to me without the microphones hearing us. This battle must be a ruse to make the Capitol think we are fighting rather than talking.

"_You mean they're going to kill all of us at the end of these games?_"

"_That's what I think. Anyone left in this arena isn't coming out."_

"_What do you mean _anyone left in this arena?_" _I ask, "_Are there plans to get us out of here?"_

Gloss nods and raises his voice to a level that will be picked up by the Capitol.

"I'll spare your life just this once, boy, but don't take it for granted. I'm going after that District One girl and then I'll come after you, and this time I won't go easy." I growl with my teeth bared, hoping it sounds like I believe what Gloss is threatening, but inside my mind is spinning. If Gloss is going to track down the remainder of the careers, I am meant to find Grey and the others. Something in what he said is telling me that it is vitally important to get to Grey and Finnick and away from him.

Gloss releases me by standing up and he stares with a hard expression as I rise and take a step away from him. Pulling my sword off the ground and strapping it to my leg I look to the career one last time and I salute him as we did in the career academy for those a much higher rank than ourselves. As a tribute volunteer I no longer needed to salute even my trainers, but the movement felt right and Gloss instantly brings his hand up in his own salute.

Lending one final look I make sure my sword is prepared for action, and leaving him all the backpacks I jog away. _I'm coming to find you Grey_.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: Merry Christmas and Happy 2013 everyone! I've been away for about three weeks on and off since the last chapter, which is why I haven't updated. But I'm back and I have a whole month of time to write this story. I plan on trying to finish it before I go back to school in February, so look forward to (hopefully) more frequent updates.**

**Something you should know is that I changed the scene between Cato and Gloss in the last chapter and it talks a lot more about what is going to happen in these chapters, so I suggest you go back and read Chapter Twenty-Two so you understand how Cato knows everything he does in this chapter.  
**

**This chapter was meant to be longer, but where I ended it seemed like the perfect place and continuing would have just ruined it. So enjoy this chapter!  
**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Grey's POV

"Are you okay?" Luke tentatively asks as he perches on a log beside me. I had walked away from the group a while ago, wanting some time alone to reorder my thoughts, but what I really actually wanted was someone to talk to.

"That depends on what answer you want," I reply without meeting his gaze, "There's a child growing inside me whose father I have to kill in order to survive, but I'm alive right now so I guess I'm _fine_." Luke laughs.

"You're allowed to be annoyed – I know I certainly would be in your situation."

"I'd be annoyed if I was a pregnant boy too." I smirk back at him, and he laughs at his own mistake.

"Yeah yeah, but really, you're handling it all better than anyone I can imagine. I know Cato would be proud of you." My laughter instantly stops at the mention of Cato, and I try to change the subject away from him.

"Is there anyone back in your district that you miss, Luke?" I ask. Luke recognizes the change in subject but goes along with it without mentioning it.

"There was no girl back home if that's what you're thinking," He replies, and he ponders for a second before continuing, "I don't miss my parents very much – I think I miss talking to my best friend the most."

"Oh?" I prod for him to elaborate. Hearing about Luke beat having to think about Cato.

"His name is Daniel but he always went by Niel. We used to chop wood in the forest alongside each other – we'd have competitions as to who could chop the most in a day to make life interesting. He would always win – he's got enormous arms." Luke digs his hand into the pocket of his jacket and brings out a small wooden carving.

"He made this for me to be my token before I left. He's an amazing carver – he can carve anything in a matter of minutes. No one would think such a big guy could do something so delicate." I nod in awe and take his token into my hands. I know it's a weapon but I don't immediately recognise it. I hazard a guess at what it might be.

"It's a scythe, isn't it?"

"Yep!" He chirps, obviously proud of his weapon. "We always used axes to chop the wood but there was one of these in the back of the tool shed where I worked. I think District Nine used to grow crops like Eleven before the Dark Days. I used to bring it out and practice with it after-hours. We didn't think there would be one in the Games – it's only a cultivating tool after all – so Niel wanted to make sure that I had one no matter where I was."

"I don't think you'd be able to kill anyone with this." I ponder, swinging the tiny weapon around with my thumb and first finger.

"Let's see how you like it when it gets stuck in your eye!"

I feel calmer having talked to Luke, and I even retrieve Cato's token from my jacket pocket and place it around my neck. Luke nods and smiles when he sees it around my neck, and silently we walk together back to the camp.

"How long do you think it will take before everyone gets pitted against each other?" He asks as the clearing comes into view. I can hear quiet murmuring coming from the group as we get closer.

"Not long at all," I reply, "I can feel it in the air."

Finnick nods a greeting when we come into view.

"We've been discussing possible courses of action and we think it's best if we move away from the centre of the arena."

"It's an evading strategy that will help us in the long run." Haymitch tacks on. "And if we get close to the force-field we may be able to use it to our advantage." The old District Twelve mentor had a point, but I doubted that the Capitol would have made it easy to use the field in the same way as he had done in his own games.

"In theory they can't push us towards the centre of the arena if we are pushed up against the side, right?" Luke ponders. I want to tell him that his theory seems rather flawed, but I stay quiet. _In theory_, they could do a great number of things that would push us into the centre of the arena, whether we were at the edge or not.

Finnick points in a random direction and suggests we go that way, but I instruct Luke – the smallest – to climb the nearest tree and search for the closest edge that doesn't involve walking through the cornucopia.

"It looks like it goes forever," He calls down after several moments spent looking from his vantage point, "What am I looking for?"

"Something that tells you that you are looking at a projection rather than the real thing." Haymitch calls up before we can even begin to think about the visibility of force-fields. "Trees in the distance that don't look real or that look repeated – maybe a slight shimmer in the air." Luke seems to ponder this quietly for a few minutes, and eventually he exclaims that he sees the force-field in the distance. When he drops down onto the ground he points in the direction opposite to where Finnick wanted us to go and tells us that it is probably only a few hours walk through the forest to get to the edge.

"Did you see any other tributes walking around the arena?" I ask Luke once we've formed a huddle and begun to walk. He shakes his head.

"No. I could see the cornucopia but it looked deserted. Everyone is probably moving around looking for other tributes or waiting for the next thing the Capitol throws at us." At a call from Finnick – who is walking at the front of the group – Luke hurries to join him, leaving me behind, and Titus falls back to my side.

"What are you thinking about?" He asks. I don't have to ask him to know how he's feeling. His back is ramrod straight – he's obviously worried about whether or not he is going to survive this. None of us are ready to die. But Titus is a fighter by nature and he needs to be fighting in order to feel calm – this walking doesn't do it for him like it does for the rest of us.

"Cato." I state plainly, ignoring the stiffening of his shoulders as my old friend hears the name of the career.

There's a pause and then, "Do you think we're going to make it to the edge of the arena?"

I don't need to think before I answer.

"No, I don't."

Cato's POV

I had to find Grey – fast. I had spent my life having people taken away from me – no, pushing them away – but I wasn't going to let myself push away possibly the last person that mattered to me.

It was too dangerous to call out for her or anybody in her alliance because of the threat of enemy tributes, but I listened intently to any noises in the trees that would give away someone's position. I didn't even know where they were headed when I last saw them. Why didn't I just stay with them when I was offered a place?

I run as fast and hard as I can, praying that I won't be struck down before I get to them, until my foot catches on a root and I'm sent tumbling to the dusty floor. My thoughts had been revolving around the Capitol trying to kill me, so when I'm sent to the ground I instantly struggle around the ground thinking that I've been caught in some Capitol trap. I sit up a few seconds later, realising that I had merely tripped over, and then scramble to my feet. My muscles were beginning to protest but I push down the emotion and start to move forward again, bracing my arms against trees that I pass.

"Grey, where are you?" I murmur quietly to myself. Almost like fate, I hear the sound of leaves crunching nearby. Pulling my sword out in preparation for its use I brandish it out in front of me and take small steps towards the noise. When the figure comes into view I step on a particularly loud leaf in shock, and they are startled enough to turn around to face me.

"Oh my gosh, Grey. I finally found you." I say quietly before she runs and leaps into my arms.

Grey's POV

I am wrapped around Cato before he can take another step forward. My face is pressed deep into his neck as he holds me under my thighs, rocking us both gently.

"It's okay, we're all good." I whisper to him even though I'm the one who needs the comfort. Cato just nods and continues his calming movement.

As soon as he puts me down, however, the content look in his eyes fades as if he is coming out of a dream, and he suddenly looks agitated.

"Where are the others?" He asks, checking the surrounding area as if expecting someone to pop up and surprise us.

"Just over there," I reply as I point over towards the end of the force-field, "We made it to the end of the arena and they're inspecting it right now. I thought I'd take a look around here."

"Okay, that's good." He says, still looking nervous. "Gloss told me something important before I left the alliance and you need to listen. The Capitol isn't trying to get a victor – they're doing this to execute us all! Round up all the most rebellious victors and pit them against each other under the pretence of a Quell. I didn't even think I'd make it to you, I-" I press my finger to his lips and he abruptly stops, slightly offended at being forced to halt in his rampage.

"I understand." I whisper, hoping he realises that the more the Capitol knows we know, the more danger we are in. "Then we don't have much time. I need to tell you something too."

Cato looks at me expectantly, giving me his full attention. He seems oblivious to the fact that what I'm about to say is going to change his life forever.

"I'm pregnant."

Then there is an earsplittingly loud sound – almost like a bubble popping – and I can feel myself being thrown backwards. I'm in the air for longer than I would think is possible, and I can hear the cry of someone who is about to lose not one, but two, of the people they care most for. Then there is a crack and the sound abruptly stops, I feel myself hitting something hard and sink to the ground, and everything goes black.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: Here I am, back with a new chapter! Hopefully you all appreciate that I'm more punctual than last time. I'm going to try and get chapters out weekly until the school year starts again. **

**This chapter was originally meant to have Grey and Cato separated once again, but one of my good friends RoseMaple decided that she would attack me if I did that, so I decided to give you a nice Grey/Cato scene at the end. Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter, there are quite a number of emotions here. Without further ado, enjoy!  
**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Twenty-Four

Grey's POV

The rumbling of a large mass underneath me forced me back to consciousness. My thoughts instantly went to that of an earthquake in the arena. That was definitely something that would get all the tributes running towards the center of the arena. When I didn't hear any screams of terror after the first few seconds I opened one eye slowly. What I saw came as a big shock.

I was lying on something uncomfortable and my view was that of a grey metal roof above me. I blinked slowly for a few moments trying to understand what on earth had happened between what I last remembered and where I was now. I had been standing in the arena – with Cato – and then there was a big sound and I got knocked out.

"Cato?" I squeak as I sit bolt upright and scan my surroundings. The confusion at where I even _was_ could wait. "Cato!"

On either side of me are flat cots – identical to the one I had just sat up from – with familiar people in varying degrees of disarray. A bespectacled man whose name is on the edge of my memory lies motionless with bandaged hands uncovered by a blanket. Titus, with a lot of bruising but not much other visible damage, lies on a cot adjacent to ones holding Haymitch and Katniss. It's not until I look to my left, however, that I see a sight that makes me cry out in relief.

Cato is lying on the cot next to mine with his face towards me. He's been propped up purposefully by pillows so he sleeps on his side – a position I know from experience that he despises – and it makes me suspect he has somehow injured his ribs. His right hand is bound tightly up to his forearm and he holds it out in front of him while he sleeps. I quickly look myself over and seeing that I am relatively unharmed I wonder what could possibly have happened to Cato while I was out. With a groan from my tired muscles I get to my feet and instantly kneel down beside Cato's head.

"What have you done, Cato…" I murmur at his sleeping face as I gently play with the hair on the side of his head.

"Oh, you're up!" A startled voice exclaims from behind me, and I instantly turn my head in fright. The thoughts of how I had woken up here and not in the arena suddenly came back with full force.

"What's wrong with him? What happened to us? _Wait_, where are we?" I barrel each question that comes to mind at the poor man in medical scrubs – he probably now regrets ever entering the room.

"Erm," He stutters, "I was just coming to change some dressings. Oh dear, where is the Commander when I need him…" The man's words fade off but when I continue to stare at him awaiting an answer he rubs his neck anxiously.

"We're not supposed to reveal any information until everyone is awake, but I suppose I could tell you the rumors. There was a big explosion in the arena but all we saw was you and a few other tributes walking close to the force-field and then suddenly getting thrown away like ragdolls!" The man animatedly moves his arms as he speaks and I figure that he's probably proud to give such important information after his initial hesitation. I am, however, utterly confused.

"But what _caused_ the explosion – I don't understand!" I ask as I rub my eyes, feeling mentally exhausted from trying to take in the information. He shrugs his shoulders.

"No one knows – except maybe the Commander. But anyway, the force-field was suddenly open. We rebels had been waiting for an opportunity to come in and retrieve you all and after the explosion we could fly right in to pick you up! You were all knocked out cold and-"

"Rebels?" I ask adamantly, wondering just how long I had been asleep. I knew there was talk of a rebellion in the air, but the fact that there were enough rebels to actually do something like this baffled me.

"Yes rebels," The supposed rebel says with a sigh, "Have you been living in a cupboard? This rebellion has been in planning stages for a long time – it's not some spur of the moment action!"

"Yeah yeah, okay, I get it," I say dismissively, wanting no more information in my already bursting brain. "But that doesn't explain why Cato is so beaten up." The man jumps to attention and instantly moves to Cato, remembering he was meant to be changing his dressings, and he speaks while he removes the pillows and gently rolls my unconscious boyfriend – it still felt strangely inappropriate to say that in this situation – onto his back.

"This young man here probably saved your – and your child's – life! It is his, isn't it?" I nod and touch the small-but-growing swell of my stomach and wait for him to continue. "When the explosion pushed the both of you back he made sure to get behind you so he was hit the hardest. It was a lucky move because you both were thrown against a tree by the force, but he was the one to take the hit while you sustained no more than bruises! He broke your fall and suffered broken ribs, a sprained wrist, and a minor concussion to do it!"

My mouth drops open in shock at what Cato had done in a split second of instinct, and I press my forehead to his while the doctor unwraps his hand and gently prods it. It's purple and bruised around his wrist and I'm forced to look away, and I instead focus on his Cato's closed eyelids. _He saved the life of me and his child and didn't even pause to think about what that would mean for him._ Unsure if it's the right thing to do, I reach for Cato's left – uninjured – hand and gently place it atop my stomach so he can feel the soft curve. If anything, I hope he can feel through his pained haze that there are now two people that love him waiting for him to wake up. The doctor looks up and silently watches the action, but gives no more than a gentle nod.

Suddenly I hear a groan coming from the other side of the room, and I leave Cato with a squeeze of his limp hand and hurry towards the sound with the doctor on my heels. My speed increases to a run when I see Luke lying on one of the beds with his head wrapped in a bandage, groaning in agony. My increase of speed means I nearly fall into the wall when I hear the sound of a large engine and the ground moves from underneath me.

"Steady," The rebel says as he grabs my arm to keep me from falling, "We're on an airship. The acceleration takes a little while to get used to." I nod in thanks but pull my arm out of his grasp. _So we're on an airship_, I think, _that certainly explains the metal walls surrounding us. We must be in a hangar._

I reach Luke and instantly kneel down beside his head like I had done moments ago with Cato. The brunette boy, however, is much worse for wear. Inspecting his bandage closer up, I can see that a red patch above his right left temple is slowly growing. I look to the man behind me for his diagnosis but he merely shakes his head and begins to check the other ex-tributes in their beds.

"Grey?" Luke murmurs, his groans stopping temporarily as he watches me with wide eyes. "Am I dying?" His question makes me recoil slightly and rather than answer I instead rearrange the blanket covering his battered body.

"I figured as much." He replies emotionlessly, seeming unsurprised. "It's funny how I was so close to surviving. Do you know where this airship is headed? _District Thirteen – the hub of all the rebellion_. Now we've actually got a chance to do something, Grey! Well… _you've_ got a chance. I'm not meant to go any further than this." Storing his words about District Thirteen away for another time, I lean closer to him and grip his hands in mine. He gives a small smile as his eyes begin to cloud over.

"No! You can't leave now!" I exclaim, shaking him slightly. "What about Niel? What about your scythe? You're meant to stab that into President Snow's eye and end the rebellion!" Luke laughs softly, but it ends in a choking cough.

"If you ever see him, tell Niel how I died. He would have liked to know that it wasn't in the games. You are the one that needs to move forward. You have to kill President Snow yourself. That was never my job Grey – I was only meant to provide the means to an end." He reaches down under his blanket and pulls out the tiny wood carving. He fumbles for my hand but eventually presses his token into my hand.

"I can see now why Cato gave you his token… It makes so much sense to me now. Now you have both of us rooting you on. Make sure you look after Cato now that you're together again. Make sure you never give up – for me. Okay Grey?"

"I promise." I say, holding up the small weapon in the air as if I'm taking an oath. "You can count on me."

"Oh, I know." Luke smiles once more and then gently closes his eyes. His death is not instantaneous – I've come to realise that every death is different. Caria's had ended with violent gasps poisoned by the venom, but Luke fades so gently that when he takes his final breath he still has the smile on his face.

_Luke…_

Cato's POV

Discomfort is the first feeling that plagues my waking conscience. I'm lying on my side on an uncomfortable bed – I never lie on my side – and in order to right this terrible situation I propel my body to twist over onto my back. _Bad idea._ A stream of curse words escapes my mouth as I feel my injuries for the first time. To try and combat the pain in my chest most likely caused by numerous broken ribs I sit up and try and find a position that doesn't cause soreness.

"Cato!" A familiar voice reaches my ears and I look up to see Grey smiling brokenly at me. I'm unsure of why I see tears of sadness in her eyes as well as the smile, so I reach out my arms and invite her to me. She doesn't hesitate to crawl onto my stretcher and hold me to her, but her pressing against my sore ribs causes me to hiss in pain so she quickly lets go.

"How are you feeling?" She asks as we try and find a comfortable position. The stretcher is too small for the two of us to lie beside one another so the only thing Grey can do is try to kiss me while lying flush against my body. My agonising "Don't!" as she nearly prods her elbow into a broken rib is enough to send her completely off me.

"Terrible," I dismiss instantly once she's standing beside my bed, "What's the matter?" Grey's face falls into one of deep sadness for a moment as she looks towards an empty bed on the other side of the room. It looks like I'm in a hovercraft of some sort, but I choose to take one question at a time. Suddenly I notice the uncomfortable intrusion of a man in hospital scrubs standing very close to us. As one of my hands had been bound with a compression bandage I assume that this is my doctor, but right now I want privacy with my girlfriend and she seems to want privacy with me.

"Do you think you could give us a minute?" I ask rudely, and the man folds his arms and huffs at me.

"No, actually," He sneers, gaining an instant dislike for me, "I need to keep constant watch on all the injured here." Grey gives me a condescending look before putting on her best innocent face.

"Ignore him, he gets a little cranky. Is there anywhere private where Cato and I would be able to talk? I'd _really_ appreciate it." The man gets slightly flustered when Grey smiles sweetly at him and he hurries to escort her out of the room, leaving me to get up myself. My girl had absolutely no idea what effect she had on people.

We are led from the large main area down a hall, and looking both ways before producing a key the man unlocks a door coming off the passageway and pushes us into it, telling us that we have to be back in half an hour to avoid anyone noticing our disappearance.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be there." I say, pushing the door closed in his face and leaving us alone at last.

I barely have time to deduce that we're in some sort of large storage cupboard when Grey launches herself at me and bursts into tears. Because she's so upset I ignore the fact that she's gripping my injuries, but while I make soothing sounds to comfort her I lift her up so her legs wrap around my hips and she is no longer gripping my ribs.

"Luke's _dead_." She sobs into my neck and I finally realise the source of her sadness. Rubbing her back softly I press my forehead against Grey's to reply.

"I'm sorry. From what I saw you two were really close." I try hard not to make my statement sound cutting – the only reason she banded with other guys was because I wasn't there for her myself.

"He was always there when I missed you, but never when you were around. It's like he was no longer needed when you woke up so he just died on me. How _could_ he Cato?" Sensing that Grey was dropping into hysterics I stop her speaking by planting a soft kiss at the very corner of her mouth.

"Stop trying to do everything at once, Grey," I order as I gently let her down onto the ground. "You've just lost one person and gained another, and you need to separate these feelings. Let's go back so you can sit down and grieve."

Grey tilts her head to the side and looks up at me as various emotions float through her face. Eventually she seems to decide on one.

"No, _you_ need to sit down Cato." She says seriously with just a hint of a smile. She comes closer and forces me to sit down on the ground. I wince at the jarring movement and she moves away to search along the shelves surrounding the room.

"This doesn't seem like grieving." I comment as she returns to me with a pile of blankets and places them strategically around and under me. She shushes me without saying a word and I stay quiet, seeing where this is going.

Promptly she leans back to inspect her work. I'm sitting up against the only wall without shelves to the floor and big thick blankets are jammed between my back and the wall so my ribs aren't agitated. There's also some placed under my thighs so I am slightly tilted up and I can _definitely _see where this is going. My guesses are confirmed when Grey seats herself primly on my pelvis and my body already fires up to meet her. She laughs.

"Eager are we Cato?" I laugh with her, slightly embarrassed that my lower region was so quick to fire up.

Grey leans forward and presses her lips to mine in a heated kiss of two lovers that had been long awaiting a reunion, and I am unable to suppress a moan when she grinds into me. She smirks into the kiss as she rocks against me and my hips thrust up as my hands find the small of her back and attempt to pull her shirt up.

"Your hand is injured," She scolds, pushing my hands away and removing her shirt herself, "Let me do everything." I lean back and put my hands behind my head as Grey unzips my pants, willing to see how she leads us through this. Last time – her first time – it had been all me.

"But you're pregnant." I argue one last time even though she already has me in her palm – literally.

"_I'm sure it won't mind_."

Grey's POV

Cato and I hurry back after forty-five minutes, laughing at the image of the grumpy doctor that we were going to be faced with when we showed our faces. Cato's hair is plastered to his head with sweat and no amount of messing with it can return it to its normal state, and he takes pride in informing me that my face is flushed pink.

Part of me couldn't actually believe what we – what I – had just done. If Cato's groans had been anything to go by, I had either done a good job or leaned on his ribs. Even though only an hour ago I had been watching Luke take his last breaths, seeing Cato after so long apart had made me want to connect with him as physically as I could – even if he had just come round from unconsciousness. My grief for Luke was put in another corner of my brain, but by loving Cato so thoroughly I somehow no longer wanted to bawl my eyes out and instead I wanted to take his scythe and stab it through the eye of President Snow.

"You alright?" Cato asks, looking slightly giddy. _We really needed to compose ourselves before we entered the main room where everyone else was._

"Yeah, I was just thinking about how being with you actually made me cope with my grief for Luke in a way." I reply thoughtfully as I come to a stop outside the door.

"Yeah? Well, I have that effect on people." He smirks and wraps one big arm around me – his ribs don't seem to be bothering him that much anymore – before pulling us both into the main hangar where all the beds are.

The doctor is standing right on the other side of the door, as if he was about to come looking for us, and he gives a slightly appalled glance as he takes in our appearances.

"The others have all woken up." He states with no mention of any of the thoughts he is obviously bursting to say. We could have happily left it like that, but Cato of course feels the need to take it one step further.

"Thanks for the room," He says, bumping playfully against the doctor on his way past, "I feel _much better now_."


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: Here's a new chapter for everyone. I only got one review for the last chapter, but I'm hoping that just means everyone is really busy and it isn't a reflection of my writing. I'm going to plow through to the ending of this story nomatter what, but it would be nice to get some feedback. Even if you just review "Hey, I'm reading!" then I'll be happy. Enjoy the chapter!**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Twenty-Five

Grey's POV

"How many districts have rebelled so far?" Finnick asks as he scratches his head. The tributes that had escaped from the arena – apart from Cato who had bypassed the meeting to sleep off his pain medication – were all seated around a circular-shaped table for a meeting with the Commander. Beetee, the bespectacled man I had seen in the hospital bed, was revealed to be the one who had caused the explosion that meant we were all here. Coming from District Three, he and his district partner Wiress were very skilled with electronics and managed to short circuit the force-field in the arena using a long coil of wire and a flare gun. Wiress had been close to the edge of the arena when it blew and, like Cato and I, she had been thrown through the air. Unfortunately, she hit her head on a rock and died before she could be picked up by the rebels.

Finnick, Titus, Haymitch and Katniss had all managed to escape the arena without sustaining any major injuries, but were just as shocked as I was by the fact that the rebellion had already begun during the games. As an idea it had seemed so unlikely – until it actually happened. The only other tribute that was on the hovercraft with us travelling to District Thirteen was Peyton, Luke's district partner. She stood sullenly in the corner watching the meeting, but made no move to include herself in the discussion.

They had all been told earlier the fates of the other two tributes that had been in the arena too. Gloss and Litty had both been near the center by the cornucopia, so instead of being picked up by the rebels like they had by being at the edge, the two had been caught by the Capitol's own hovercraft that had also entered at the explosion. No one was particularly grieved by the idea of Litty's capture, but Cato had gone unnaturally quiet at the mention of Gloss and had left the room – making the excuse that he was just drowsy. The harsh slam of the door as he left the room said otherwise.

"Districts 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 have fully rebelled and taken over the Peacekeepers there, but a few other districts are restless or engaged in combat." The Commander replied to Finnick's question in a gruff voice. Commander Steel – who went only by 'Commander' because he thought his surname made him a _joke_ – was a tall, hulk of a man with a shaved head who looked like he had ulterior motives to take over the world, which probably wasn't far off. Upon meeting the man Cato and Titus had both stood to attention and saluted, and after that Commander Steel had directed all his words to the ex-careers – probably recognising the only ones who had fighting experience.

But now that Cato was holed up somewhere alternating between sleeping and pretending he wasn't mourning Gloss the Commander had to direct his attention to everyone sitting at the table.

"As soon as we arrive in District Thirteen you will be sent into combat training to increase your skills working in a team, and then we will take District Two." Commander Steel had barely brushed on the fact that District Thirteen – which had been thought to be destroyed – was actually still prosperous, so we were forced from the get-go to accept the fact that it was just _there_. Ever since I had woken up in this hovercraft I had seemed to be doing that a lot – just accepting the facts and moving on.

"District _Two_? The Capitol's lap dog you mean." Peyton calls out with a sneer, walking slowly towards us with an air of disrespect. It's the first time she has spoken since showing her face and the Commander sneers back in reply – unimpressed with her attitude.

"That's one way to put it," Steel growls icily, "_However_, Two is the district that will come across the most trouble when rebels attempt to take over – they train all the Peacekeepers in Panem after all – so we need to take it down first before the rest of the higher districts will follow. Understand?" It's not a question that warrants an answer so Peyton shrugs with a sneer and says nothing.

"With _that_ out of the way, you are all dismissed. We will arrive in Thirteen in twelve hours – your rooms are down the hallway ordered by gender and district if you wish to rest." The other ex-tributes disperse from the table instantly, so by the time I walk along the corridor myself it is empty. I pass Finnick's room and come to a stop in front of my own beside it, but I can't make myself walk inside. While discussing how we were going to fight the Capitol – by hiding away until we were stronger – I had been thinking about Luke's words to me. _I_ needed to be the one to kill President Snow – I couldn't just be in the back while everyone else fought for me. The small wooden scythe that my fingertips brushed in my pocket was a constant reminder of that. I had someone's death to avenge.

I decide Cato will know what to do. Finnick or Haymitch would probably persuade me that I needed to train and running rashly into battle was a bad idea, but running rashly into things was Cato's forte.

The District Two room is a bit down the hall from my own, and I notice that alongside it are rooms without labels. I realise that these must be the rooms for the tributes that didn't make it through the games. Sure enough, there are numerous unlabelled rooms between the occupied ones that must have been for the deceased tributes. They _had_ been planning this rescue for a while.

I touch my hand to the sliding door of Cato's room and it silently opens for me. The room is dimly lit and I see him fast asleep on his stomach – fully clothed – with his head face-down into the pillow. He's normally a light sleeper, so the fact that he has yet to wake up even as I'm walking into the room tells me that he's still somewhat drugged on the painkiller for his ribs. I perch on the end of the bed where his feet are resting and gently remove the muddy arena boots from his feet.

"Grey?" Cato's voice sounds heavy from sleep as he lifts his head slightly when he feels the weight of the blanket I wrap around him. I crawl over his legs until I am at his pillow and then cradle his head in my hands.

"Did you sleep well?" I ask him, and Cato's body tenses ever-so-slightly telling me that he was plagued by the bad dreams he tries so hard to hide from everyone else. He hadn't told me of his nightmares for a very long time – since before the Quell – but I let the matter drop and allow him to change the subject while I stroke the hair away from his face.

"I thought I was back in the games and that you were gone, but now that we're together I'm not letting you leave again. So, what did I miss in the meeting?" He yawns, beginning to return to full thinking capacity after a long sleep. My expression blanches slightly as I wonder if Cato knows I'm thinking about leaving him so I can go fight the Capitol, but he's smiling at me so I decide that it was just a coincidence.

"Lots of military talk. The outer districts are fighting the Peacekeepers for power, but we're going out to Thirteen to train before trying to take over…" I pause abruptly, realising that we are going to be the ones to attack Cato's district. Who knew where his friends and family would fall when the district had a conflict. I think of his best friends Lux and Seb – they were in the academy, so they would be fighting against us.

"_District Two_, yeah I figured Grey." Cato interrupts as he sits up out of my lap and begins to pull on his boots again. His voice is clipped. "I'm going to have to stare my training buddies in the eyes and stick a sword through their chests."

He stands up and I stand up to meet him, pressing my face into the crook of his neck while he has his back turned away from me.

"No, Cato, please. Don't say that. We won't kill anyone – we'll just hold them until there's no one left to fight! Everyone in the academy, and the civilians too, they don't really want to fight. It'll be fine." Cato turns his head and scoffs, causing me to step away from him.

"You obviously know nothing about war and nothing about the people in my district." He spits harshly, but the hurt in his eyes makes me rush forward again and wrap my arms around his waist while he's defenceless. He grumbles to himself but eventually embraces me back.

"We're going to get through this together, and we're going to raise our child together in a Panem that is not plagued by the Hunger Games or war. And then maybe we can have a couple more and they'll all run around together in our yard. Would you like that, Cato?" I find one of his hands and press it against my stomach until his head slumps down and presses against my forehead.

"Yes, I would like that." He whispers in reply, not taking his hand off his child.

Suddenly, there is an explosion underneath us and the floor sways violently. I shriek and Cato instantly wraps his arms around me as we are thrown into the wall like he had done while protecting me during the explosion in the arena. He grunts as he hits the wall but I'm unharmed and instantly help him into a standing position. He rubs his back where I know his broken ribs are but when I reach out to touch him he holds his other hand up to stop me and together we rush out of his room into the main hallway.

It's chaos out here. Having felt the explosion themselves all the other tributes have left their rooms and are running towards the main hangar where there might be some explanation. I see Finnick pass without even glancing at me and I realise that this might be the only chance I have to act. The confusion over the explosion would mean that no one would notice my absence until I was long gone.

Cato takes my arm and practically drags me down the hall following the other tributes, and we pass a nervous looking orderly standing guard by the doors into the hangar.

"What's happened?" Cato demands, and the man stutters a reply that we're being attacked by another hovercraft – presumably one owned by the Capitol. When Cato wanted information he got it just by glaring.

Cato tries to pull me into the hangar but I dig my shoes into the ground and put a look of shock-horror onto my face.

"Wait! I need to go back to your room, Cato, please. I forgot something. I'll meet you inside, okay?" I speak so quickly that the blonde gives me a bewildered look and does nothing as I tear out of his grasp and hurry back in the direction we had come shouting, "I'll meet you there!" I can only hope he doesn't realise something is up until I've gone. I couldn't put Cato in danger like that without him knowing – he needed to be in District Thirteen to help the rebels. It was better for both of us if I did what I promised Luke without dragging anyone else into it. And anyway, who were they more likely to notice: one young girl with no more than a tooth-pick for a weapon, or a whole troop of trained soldiers kicking down everything in their path?

Luckily everyone had quickly run to the hangar as soon as we were hit, so no one is around to ask me why I'm disobeying orders. I pick up speed once I pass Cato's room and hope that I'm heading in the direction of the loading bay.

The hovercraft lurches again just as I reach the bay and I roll with the movement so that I stay on my feet. On the far side of the room I see large doors looking as if they are struggling to stay closed while being attacked from the outside. I duck behind a large crate as the doors finally break under the pressure and Peacekeepers beginning to storm in. In reality there is only half a dozen, but it seems like many when you're hiding weapon-less behind a crate.

Just as I'm attempting to come up with a good excuse that would get me into the Capitol without being a prisoner I hear someone drop down beside me.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" Cato hisses furiously, and I don't think I've ever heard him this angry before. "You pretend you're just going back to my room and instead you come here! In a few seconds those Peacekeepers are going to find us, and then what? Why can't you just do what you're _told_ for once!"

"You're one to talk! All through the Games you did what you liked, and I bet you never once followed Enobaria's orders either."

"That's different and you know it." He growls, "I wasn't going to hand myself over to the enemy!" Suddenly we both hear the sound of the Peacekeepers marching closer and Cato pushes himself deeper behind the crate so he's hidden for a little longer. Pressed close to him and looking into his face I can see that I was wrong to think he was angry at me. In actual fact, he's terrified.

"What about our baby, Grey? What will happen to it if you get captured?" Cato's voice sounds so afraid for the well-being of his child that I'm instantly washed over with regret.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I thought this was a good idea. I thought I would be able to get inside the Capitol without anyone noticing because they would all think the rebels were in District Thirteen. I didn't even think about the baby. And Luke told me to kill President Snow and I was impatient because it was _Luke_ and he's dead now and-" Cato's tight hug halts my rambling and we curl up together hoping that we won't be seen.

Suddenly there's a tug on the back of my shirt and I'm dragged out into full view of the Peacekeepers who stand around me and laugh.

"Look who we found boys: the precious victor from District Four. Well she's obviously not precious enough if she's unprotected during an ambush, is she?" The figure talking – covered in armour – kicks me in the gut and I curl around myself praying that Cato has run to get help.

No such luck.

"_Don't touch her_." Comes a hissing voice and everyone turns to see Cato already in a fighting stance ready for the approaching fight. The Peacekeepers laugh between themselves, and the one who had been talking before clicks his tongue against his teeth.

"Well, well. We didn't even need to use this one-" I receive another kick to the gut, "as bait. Get him – this needn't take long." Cato suddenly straightens with an appalled look on his face – he must have taken offense by the fact that they think he will be an easy fight – and I want to scream at him to watch out.

He barely dodges the first punch aimed at him, but once he does he counters with a punch to the first Peacekeepers face that sends him sprawling, and he continues handing out punches to anyone who comes near. However he's caught off guard when one of them comes up behind him and shoves him forward, and once he loses his balance they swarm him.

"Cato!" I screech as he bucks wildly under those restraining him, but when he looks up at my voice it's enough of a distraction for the Peacekeeper that is on Cato's back to ram something into his neck. He falls flat onto his face in a dead faint before I can call out his name again.

"_Ugh. Get them in the hovercraft before they can attract any more attention." _


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: Thank you everyone for the reviews last chapter! It was great seeing people were still reading - especially the unexpected ones that had never reviewed before. I really appreciate it and it's for you that I am going to finish this story. Once Crowd of Two is finished up completely I probably won't do any more Hunger Games fanfiction. I'm working on my own story right now and I might think about posting it somewhere online. But that's for another day. **

**Hopefully this chapter lives up to the expectations of last chapter's cliff-hanger. I wanted to get this chapter out because tomorrow is my first day of school! Anyway, enjoy this chapter! :)  
**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Twenty-Six

Grey's POV

Though Cato is unconscious and cradled in my arms – with both his wrists and ankles bound courtesy of the Peacekeepers –I have unfortunately been awake the entire time. We were placed in what I assumed was the holding cell on our exit from the craft, and we've been here ever since. Unconscious and bound Cato has the better deal out of the two of us, because I've been forced to listen to the laughter and plans that the Peacekeepers loudly exclaim from the other side of the door. 'Rotting in a cell' and 'He won't want her after this' are just two of the comments said just loud enough that I can hear them, and I pull Cato's motionless body closer to me both for comfort and protection.

His mouth is open partly in sleep – or whatever state he's in – and a line of dribble has escaped from his relaxed mouth and made a line down his chin. Using my thumb I wipe it away and can't help but smile at the innocent expression on his face. With his head in my lap Cato looks like a child, and in the back of my mind I picture what he'll look like when he's sleeping with his own child in the crook of his arm. _No, I can't think that. If I think of the baby I won't be able to function – especially when its father may not even survive his time here in the Capitol._

I hear a noise coming from outside the room we are being held in, and even though I came in through a door I can't remember where it is. The sound of a lock unlocking seems like it is coming from all around us, and I figure that everything the Capitol does is done to frighten their prisoners. Finally a door in the wall swings open and a bright light shines in – I hadn't even noticed that it was dark in here until now – and peering into the light I see large forms standing with their arms crossed in a military action.

"You're free to go." One of them says. He sounds irritated as if he would want nothing more than to lock us in here forever, but is merely following orders. My mouth falls open in shock when the man's words process in my mind. _Free to go?_ I begin to stand on shaky legs – attempting to drag Cato up with me with an arm around his torso – but one of the figures quickly steps forward and reveals himself. It's the Peacekeeper who knocked Cato out back in the rebel hovercraft, and the sour expression on his face makes me falter in my action.

"No," He states roughly, "_You're_ free to go, Four, but he isn't." If I had been in another situation I would have made a fuss for being called by my district number, but as it was I just stood up and clutched Cato to me tighter like a child's doll.

"You can't do that! I'm not letting you separate us!" In my desperation I subtly start to pinch the vulnerable skin underneath Cato's arm, hoping that the discomfort will arouse him, but the Peacekeepers begin to flood in through the doorway and the heavy blonde in my arms makes no move to wake up.

One of them grabs me not-so-gently and tugs me away from the ex-career, while another catches his limp form when I lose my grip on him. I scream out his name as I get dragged out – right into the ears of the man holding me in the hope that he'll let go – and I see Cato's eyelids flutter briefly. This makes me shout even louder and, getting sick of my protesting, the man with his arm clamped around my arm picks me up and throws me over one shoulder. After that I have no more leverage to fight and I am easily carried out kicking and screaming. My last look into the cell is of Cato slowly beginning to come to consciousness, and right before the doors slam shut I see him mouth my name in his stupor.

"Where are you taking me?" I demand once we are out of sight of Cato's cell and I have been placed on the ground again.

"It's your lucky day – we're taking you back to your little arena buddies." I turn to face the man in Peacekeeper garb, his face covered with a mask that makes me unable to see his features and nearly trip over myself in my shock.

"What do you mean? Why are you letting me go?"

"I wouldn't call it being 'let go'. You're going to go back to your mentor like a good girl, but we're keeping your little boyfriend with us." Furious at the way the man has posed his phrase it takes me a few seconds to actually realise what he's saying, but once I do I immediately try to tug away from his hand on my arm.

"No! I won't leave him!" When the man's hand doesn't let up and we continue to keep a fast pace in the opposite direction to Cato, I begin to pound at any bit of body I can get to. It's useless due to the armour that covers him, but the action makes me feel like I am doing something productive.

"We're going to deliver you back safe and sound like we were asked to, but if you decide to come back and get shot as soon as your foot crosses the threshold then it is not our fault. We only need the boy for this – you're just a liability here. More harmful to have you together than to have you separated." We're nearing a sliding door now and I can hear sounds outside that tell me we're about to leave the building and enter the Capitol streets. After being called a liability the conversation fizzles out and I'm stuck thinking about his words as I'm warded through the doors. Why were we more harmful together? Surely having us apart will make us want to fight to get back together. It didn't make sense – what were they planning?

I'm about to ask that exact question to the Peacekeeper – it couldn't hurt, could it? – when I hear my name being shouted as a recognisable figure outside starts waving with outstretched arms.

"Finnick!" I shout, feeling a little like a teenager being bailed from a cell by their loved one. I'm released by the Peacekeeper holding me and I run to my old mentor who instantly wraps a protective arm around my shoulders.

"Let's get out of here." He murmurs as he begins to lead me away. Turning my head to look at the Peacekeeper in the entrance to the building – from the outside I realise we were being kept in a warehouse – he gives us a mock salute before slamming the door closed.

"But-but Cato! He's still in there!" I argue but Finnick merely keeps walking with his arm around me.

"I know, and it was hard enough to persuade them to let you go. We'll come back for him eventually – right now you need to focus on training." We walk towards a small hovercraft that hasn't been parked very inconspicuously near the warehouse, and it's obvious that this is a planned and agreed upon extraction. It makes it worse knowing that it was always in the plan to leave Cato behind.

Haymitch is standing in the doorway to the craft with a barely contained smirk on his face. I'm not in the mood for his jokes and instead I push past him and stomp up the ramp. At the top I turn back around to look at both ex-mentors.

"If it was always in your big plan to just save me why did you even bother? I would have preferred if you had just left me there!" With a childish scream I run into the hovercraft and lock myself into the first room I can find. I notice Finnick's jacket is in a pile by the door and with a slight smile I lock the door from the inside and imagine what the brunette heartthrob is going to think of sleeping on the floor outside for the journey.

I fall asleep fully clothed on the bed and wake up sometime later. The room is dark and it's black on the other side of the small circular window in the room that I can see from the bed. Sitting up I reach for a light and shriek when I see a masculine figure in the chair beside the door.

Haymitch wakes up with a startled grunt and we both take a few seconds to compose ourselves.

"What are you doing in here? How long have you _been_ here?!" I ask as I clutch my hands to my quickly beating heart.

"Someone had to make sure you didn't jump out the window and run all the way back to the Capitol, didn't they?" Both of us look in the direction of the window and I wonder how I could have ever fit my body through the gap even if I wanted to. "Finnick is still upset that he had to sleep on a bench – his hair got ruined apparently." I laugh to myself but the memory of getting dragged away from Cato resurfaces as I wake up more and the giggle dies out into a choked off sob.

Haymitch moves off the chair and lifts his hand into view to show me that he's holding a bottle of liquor. I shake my head at his silent question and he takes a swig for himself as he sits down.

"He'll be okay, you know."

"You didn't see him there. He was drugged and bound – he's completely at their mercy. What are they going to do with him?"

"It's all theory right now," Haymitch replies as he scratches his bristly stubble, "But we think the Capitol is going to force Cato to fight for them against us when we try to take District Two. By separating you they think that they can control him better, and it will also prevent you from fighting him. You never hurt the father of your child, would you?"

I shake my head and press one hand against my stomach.

"So what are we going to do to help him?"

"Hope that when they break him we can still pick up the pieces and put him back together."

Haymitch makes me talk to him for the rest of the journey to District Thirteen. I find out that the darkness outside the window is due to going underground and it's actually only mid-afternoon. District Thirteen had been underground since it was destroyed by the Capitol, but no one knew where it was located so those travelling there had to spend most of the journey in underground tunnels so they aren't be followed. A small bump and the sound of engines dying down tell us that we have arrived at our destination.

Only two people are waiting at the bottom of the ramp for me when I disembark the hovercraft. What had once seemed like a large crowd that could take on anything is now a dwindling number of tired teenagers. Katniss and Titus both stand there uncomfortably as I walk down, and the first thing I notice is the odd uniform that they are both wearing. It's put at the back of my mind when my best friend runs at me and lifts me into a crushing hug.

"You're so stupid, Grey. I can't believe it. When everyone was in that hangar and I couldn't find you or Cato I knew you had done something idiotic. But giving yourself up to the-"

"Titus. Give her a break." Katniss scolds. "Grey, are you alright?" I nod slowly and force a small smile onto my face.

"I'm okay. Could someone take me to my room now please?" Titus, having put me on the floor again, offers to take me and I even let him hold my hand when he catches it with his own. It makes me miss Cato a little bit less.

"Why is everyone wearing the same thing?" I ask as we walk down sterilized white corridors. Each person we pass wears a variation of the same outfit. The men – including Titus – have dark blue baggy pants and a buttoned up jacket in the same shade. The women wear a more tailored version of the jacket with a short pleated skirt. All the navy blue makes the crowds of people look more like oceans in my opinion.

"Oh. That. It's this strict rule the district has. They like everyone working like a military machine before we even begin fighting."

"Will I need to wear it?"

"Of course. I'm pretty sure there will be a uniform on your bed in your room." I grimace at the idea of having to wear the outfit and Titus lets out a bark of laughter.

"How am I going to train in _that_?" I whisper, eying the short skirt of a young girl passing us in the halls. "It's so short!"

"Unfortunately, you have to wear shorts underneath." Titus sighs, looking as if the addition to the uniform is a crime against mankind.

"I guess that's okay. Someone will have to let out the jacket when I start looking more pregnant." I ponder as we turn a corner into another nameless corridor.

"Commander Steel said that we were going to try to take over District Two in a months' time. After that you'll be free to have your baby in peace – _hopefully_. Oh look, we're here!"

The door we've stopped in front of indeed has my name engraved on the door, and looking around I can see various other doors for the other tributes. Titus swipes some sort of card through the lock on my door and it opens to reveal a plain bedroom. There are no windows and apart from a door leading off into a bathroom it is relatively unfurnished. A large bed takes up most of the space, with a desk and a cupboard built into the wall. I move to the bed where an outfit has been laid out for me. I decide not to put it on just yet.

"Oh! Ah, you don't need to see that." Titus stutters as I reach for the other outfit laid on the bed. The dark haired boy tries to grab it but I pull it out of his reach so I can look at it. When I recognise it as a man's uniform I drop it and it floats to the floor while I heavily sit down on the bed with tearing up eyes.

"You know, I can just take this to my room." Titus comments. He picks up the jacket and pants that are crumpled on the floor when he sees I am about to cry but I make an indignant noise that makes him pause.

"No. Please just leave it there on the floor."

"Okay, Grey, I'll leave it here." He replies, making a show of dropping the clothing back onto the ground with his hands raised in surrender. "I'm going to go back to my room now if you don't need me. It'll give you time to settle in. I'll come and get you in the evening so we can go to the cafeteria together for dinner. I'm right next door if you need me." I don't answer and he eventually leaves after gently rubbing my shoulder. I grab the jacket from the floor and spend the next few hours lying curled up on the bed with the uniform jacket that was meant to be Cato's wrapped around me.


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the delay on this chapter! You can all hate me now if you want. I've been so busy now that school has started and there's no time to sit down and write anymore. But I've had this partly written for weeks now so I thought I'd finally do it. I'm really starting to want this story to finish because soon it will be coming up to a year since I started the whole Grey/Cato duo. At least tell me what you think because we're getting near the home stretch now - there's probably between 5 and 7 chapters left. So if you're still reading, please enjoy! :P**

Crowd of Two

Chapter Twenty Seven

Grey's POV

I was undisturbed in District Thirteen for a whole week before I was requested for a meeting with the superiors. As much as I missed Cato – and that was a_ lot _– after a while the orderly routine of the underground district got to me and I found myself slightly relaxing.

Like everyone else there I had my schedule for the day printed on my arm every morning. Wherever I had to report there was always someone I knew from the arena, and I figured that it was to make sure we were happy and that no one had a meltdown. Some nights I certainly felt like it – especially when someone knocked on the door to my room and inquired on whether or not I needed the men's soap – the one that had been untouched so far as there was no one to use it – replenished. On that occasion Titus had somehow known that I was sitting in the bedroom crying into Cato's uniform again and quickly retrieved me to take my mind off of things.

Titus had been my main source of comfort since we had gotten to the district, as Finnick and Haymitch refused to give comfort when it regarded Cato. The only explanation I had gotten was that since Cato was now stuck in the Capitol we might eventually be forced to fight him, and if I still cared I wouldn't be able to handle injuring him. In Haymitch's drunken words, "We don't want to do exactly what the Capitol thinks we are going to do sweetheart: have you burst into tears at the first sight of Cato getting a boo-boo." Although I partly understood his point I was already strung tightly because of not instantly going back to rescue my blonde boyfriend, and the idea of having to desensitise myself to his torture wasn't helpful either.

It was especially apparent since I had just a few days ago found out the gender of our little baby. I was only a couple of months into the pregnancy but using a strange machine that they held over me we could see its tiny body. Almost all of the survivors from the arena – the only exception being the still-sullen and unhelpful Peyton – offered to come with me but in the end I only invited Katniss. It felt wrong for any man other than Cato to find out the gender of the child before he did. But Katniss had become one of my closest friends since arriving at District Thirteen, and ever since her mother and sister had evacuated here – many people of District Twelve had braved the chance of Thirteen existing and escaped their district together when news of the fighting reached them – they had been including me in their family and treating them like one of their own. Everyone seemed to be going easy on me lately, as if I was a fragile thing that could be broken at any second from missing the love of my life. Our baby was going to be a boy.

When the doctor had given me the words "It's a boy" I burst into tears and had to be consoled. I instantly had the image of a small toddler with bright blue eyes and blonde hair. He would run around outside and spend his childhood playing instead of training for a massacre like the one we had been through.

But then will he be lifted up by his loving father – or will his father even be there at all?

I walk the short distance to the office where I had been summoned by those in charge of the District. None of us from the arena had ever met the one at the top – though we had been told that the whole place was ruled by one woman. I have to actually knock at the door to gain admittance, which is odd as usually all of the doors open when you approach – the exception being the living quarters. Someone opens the door from the inside and I walk in.

"Grey? Oh my goodness it's so good to see you. I can't believe you're okay!" Someone runs up to me and pulls me into a hug too close for someone I have just met. But there's a strangely familiar scent coming from the figure and with a start I realise where I know this woman from.

"Mom?"

Holding me tightly at arm's length my mother looks me up and down. I try to piece together the information feeding into my brain but I come up with a blank. The last time I had seen her she had been verging on insanity, obsessively cleaning our home after the departure of my father. Then I go back to District Four and find that she's tried to travel to a district that doesn't exist – but it actually does – and now she is actually in _charge_ of this place?

"Mom?" I repeat again, beginning to wonder if the woman in front of me _is_ indeed my mother. Her hair that always used to be untidy around her shoulders is now pulled up into a tight bun and after she hugs me she stands to attention and becomes a new woman.

"You've grown up so much. I watched as much of the games as I could. I'm sorry we couldn't help your friend - that District Two boy. But I know there are many lovely boys here who aren't quite as… violent." My mouth drops open and my hand instantly moves to Cato's son inside me. I'm shocked at how bluntly ignorant she could be. Mothers are meant to understand these things.

There's an uncomfortable silence where neither of us say anything, until my mother gestures to the seat in front of her and we both sit down at her desk.

"Aren't you wondering how your dear old mother got up to the top of District Thirteen?" She asks cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood. I shrug just to humour her, but after her comment about Cato my patience is wearing thin.

"I'm sure you understood the note I left back at our house, but when I first arrived here I was not in a good place. I don't really even remember much about the first few days I spent here. But once I was suitably calm I got called into the office of a woman called Alma Coin. She thought she saw leadership qualities in me, and combined with my knowledge of the career districts – we did live in Four after all – she put me as her sole successor. She was killed the day after you all left the arena."

One of my eyebrows perks slightly at her explanation. It sounds strangely pre-recorded. I instantly feel wary about this Coin woman, even though one would think her death means the end of any control she must have had. I wonder why a military-smart commander would leave my emotionally damaged mother, who had just arrived in the district, as her heir.

"I'm sure she was a good woman." I say with a fake smile on my face. Suddenly I feign a look to my forearm and announce loudly that I'm late for my meeting with Titus. In reality, Titus has a muscle toning session and said he wouldn't have time to see me until the next meal, but my mother doesn't need to know that. I no longer feel comfortable revealing information on my whereabouts to anyone except my closest friends – the ones from the games. My mother waves a friendly dismissal as I hurry from the room and as the door shuts behind me I realise that I didn't even tell my own mother that I was pregnant.

Cato's POV

"I don't know what you're talking about," I repeat coldly as the Peacekeepers crowd me in the darkness. I don't remember much about my capture or the consequential hours following it, but I have a vivid picture of Grey getting escorted out, and knowing that she is safe with the rebel alliance means that I can go down a martyr without having to worry about what they will do to her once I fall.

My cheek aches from being slapped with a glove, but apart from that and the exhaustion I don't feel too damaged. A quick check of my limbs while the main Peacekeeper is droning on about something tells me that everything is attached and accounted for.

There's a long pause and I look up from my 'interrogation chair' to see everyone looking harshly in my direction as if waiting for a reply. I rudely ask, "Huh?" in confusion and it earns me another slap. This one is harder and even sends me falling off the chair, but without speaking or clutching my throbbing nose I silently pull myself back onto the chair.

"I asked," One of the men hisses, "If you know what you have started."

"A rebellion?" I say tiredly, tiring of this game.

"Yes but what in particular did you do?"

"Boys, I really don't get where you are going with this." I drone, trying to spark up some sort of emotion from the Peacekeepers. I can tell that they are growing bored of my ignorance because this time they don't answer with a cryptic puzzle like before .

"In the arena you broke your alliance with Gloss with a salute. That action shows respect and comradery. Friendship between districts? Bah! We can't have that. That makes people want to work together. Your friend has already been significantly punished, but now it's your turn. We have a lot in store for you." I sit up straight in the chair with wide eyes as I suddenly comprehend.

"You killed him didn't you!" I shout out, furious about the loss of another tribute that could have survived if it weren't for the Capitol.

"Indeed," One of the men says, and I am too furious to notice the syringe until it's too late to pull away. I feel the sensation of something being pushed into my neck and I try in vain to scrabble at the needle with my fingers before it can poison me with its contents. Almost instantly the world starts to go out of focus and I have to grab my knees with my hands to stay sitting on the chair.

"Training starts when you wake up, so I hope you get some sleep." Someone teases from far away and it's the last thing I hear before I fall unconscious and the world disappears.


End file.
